Abstract Detail

Biogeography

Qiu, Yingxiong [1], Sun, Yi [1], Fu, Chengxin [1], Comes, Hans [2].

Molecular phylogeography of East Asian Kirengeshoma (Hydrangeaceae) in relation to Quaternary climate change and landbridge configurations.

Kirengeshoma comprises two species inhabiting warm temperate-deciduous forests in eastern China/ southern Japan(Kirengeshoma palmata) and South Korea (Kirengeshoma koreana) (CKJ region). A survey of chloroplast (cp) DNA, inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) and microsatellites(SSRs) variation in Kirengeshoma was carried out to determine the population history of a plant taxon around the East China Sea (ECS). CpDNA, ISSRs and SSR revealed lower genetic divergence between China and Japan relative to the other contrasts, in line with intrageneric classification. Molecular dating suggests that K. koreana diverged at the Plio-Pleistocene boundary from the Japanese populations, whereas the latter migrated into China during the early to mid Pleistocene via the ECS basin. Vicariant segregation of Chinese and Japanese populations likely occurred during the mid-Pleistocene. Mismatch distributions and neutrality tests indicated that Chinese populations expanded their range during the Late Pleistocene, probably during a cold period, whereas those from Japan showed no significant population growth. Recent immigrants, detected by assignment tests, tend to decrease from the grandparent generation to the current generation, suggesting the potentially highly restricted current geneflow among fragments may render the fragmented populations of K. palmata at a higher risk of local extinction several generations after fragmentation. We conclude that the current distribution and differentiation of components of presently isolated warm temperate-deciduous forests in China, Japan and Korea likely resulted from a combination of relatively ancient vicariant and immigration events, and those from Japan were particularly sensitive to range fragmentation and long-term refugial isolation throughout the Late Pleistocene.This study can not only provide information useful for developing recovery plans that can meaningfully sample and preserve genetic diversity, but also provide the theoretic basis for successful propagation and management of endangered species. Additionally, this study will provide methodological guidelines for studying on the conservation genetics and phylogeography of other endangered species in the CJK region.

Broader Impacts:

1 - College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Key Laboratory of Conservation Biology for Endangered Wildlife, Ministry of Education, 338 Yuhangtang Road, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, China
2 - Department of Organismic Biology,Salzburg University, Salzburg, A–5020, Austria

Keywords:
Kirengeshoma
phylogeography
conservation genetics
gene flow.

Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Topics
Session: P
Location: Khorassan Ballroom/Chase Park Plaza
Date: Monday, July 11th, 2011
Time: 5:30 PM
Number: PBG005
Abstract ID:648