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Niche modelling and landscape genetics of Caryocar brasiliense (“Pequi” tree: Caryocaraceae) in Brazilian Cerrado: an integrative approach for evaluating central–peripheral population patterns

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Abstract

Complex and integrative approaches may be necessary to understand the abundant-centre model and the patterns in genetic diversity that may be explained by this model. Here we developed an integrated framework to study spatial patterns in genetic diversity within local populations, coupling genetic data, niche modelling and landscape genetics, and applied this framework to evaluate population structure of Caryocar brasiliense, an endemic tree from the Brazilian Cerrado. We showed different geographical patterns for genetic diversity, allelic richness and inbreeding levels, estimated using microsatellite data for ten local populations. Ecological suitability was estimating by combining five niche modelling techniques. Genetic diversity tend to follow a central-periphery model and is associated with ecological variables. On the other hand, inbreeding levels may be alternatively explained by isolation processes and habitat fragmentation more related to intense recent human occupation in the southern border of the biome, or by deeper historical patterns in the origin of the populations. Although still suffering from some of the problems of central-periphery analysis (small number of local populations), our analyses show how these patterns can be better investigated and offering a better understanding of the processes structuring genetic diversity within species’ geographic ranges.

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Acknowledgments

We thank an anonymous reviewer for useful suggestions that improved the manuscript and clarified our ideas about this issue. Our programme in conservation biogeography and molecular ecology in the Brazilian Cerrado is supported by a PRONEX project from CNPq/SECTEC-GO (Proc. No. 23234156) for establishing conservation priorities in the Cerrado region and by several grants and fellowships from CNPq, CAPES and FUNAPE-UFG. Cooperation between genetic laboratories of MPCT and RGC are supported by a PROCAD-NF/CAPES programme, whereas work by JAFDF, LMB and PDM on distribution modelling have been supported by BIOIMPACT project for evaluating effect of climate change in the Neotropics, coordinated by M. B. Araújo.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas—ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus Samambaia (Campus II), caixa postal: 131, CEP: 74001-970, Goiânia, GO, Brazil

    José Alexandre F. Diniz-Filho, Luis Mauricio Bini, Thannya N. Soares, Mariana Pires de Campos Telles, Paulo de Marco Jr. & Rosane G. Collevatti

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Ambientais (CIAMB), PRPPG-UFG, Goiânia, Brazil

    João Carlos Nabout

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  1. José Alexandre F. Diniz-Filho
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  2. João Carlos Nabout
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  3. Luis Mauricio Bini
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  4. Thannya N. Soares
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  7. Rosane G. Collevatti
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Correspondence to José Alexandre F. Diniz-Filho.

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Communicated by A. Kremer.

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Diniz-Filho, J.A.F., Nabout, J.C., Bini, L.M. et al. Niche modelling and landscape genetics of Caryocar brasiliense (“Pequi” tree: Caryocaraceae) in Brazilian Cerrado: an integrative approach for evaluating central–peripheral population patterns. Tree Genetics & Genomes 5, 617–627 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-009-0214-0

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