Looking for a successful translocation: the case of Astragalus edulis
Metadata
Show full item recordEditorial
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Materia
Conservation Genetic diversity Species distribution models (SDMs) Western Mediterranean–Macaronesian area
Date
2021-06-24Referencia bibliográfica
Bobo-Pinilla, J... [et al.] 2021. Looking for a successful translocation: the case of Astragalus edulis. Mediterr. Bot. 42, e68048. [https://dx.doi.org/10.5209/mbot.68048]
Sponsorship
Instituto de Salud Carlos III Spanish Government CGL2012-32574 REN2003-09427; Andalusian Consejeria de Innovacion, Ciencia y Tecnologia P05-RNM-01067; Agencia Estatal de Investigacion (AEI) CGL2016-75904-C2-1-P; Xunta de Galicia European Commission ED431C 2016-037; Fondos Feder: "Unha maneira de facer Europa"Abstract
Astragalus edulis (Fabaceae) is an endangered annual plant species from the western Mediterranean region.
It occurs in the Iberian Peninsula (SE), Morocco (two main locations in the NE and SW), and the easternmost Canary
Islands (Lanzarote and Fuerteventura). After a thorough study assessing genetic diversity and phylogeographic patterns,
and a proposal of a management plan to preserve the genetic diversity across the entire area of the species, it is about time
to go further in the species conservation. It is necessary to recognize genetically impoverished populations to be able to
successfully reinforce populations and find realistic places for translocations. For this, Nei’s genetic diversity values were
calculated for the three geographic areas and for their populations. Diversity values were further evaluated to calculate the
optimal contribution for the populations within each area to maximize the genetic pool. To evaluate whether the optimum
habitat for the species is expected to grow or decrease under a climate change scenario, the optimal model of current climatic
suitability of A. edulis was projected into the IPCC (2070_RCP8.5) future scenario. The different geographical areas showed
similar genetic diversity values. The populations that contribute to maximize the genetic pool in each geographic area were
similar, but not equal, to those proposed in previous studies. The future potential habitat for the species shows a significant
range decline, which will affect translocation efforts.