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Assessing the genetic legacy of a rare, clonal Australian shrub Grevillea infecunda (Proteaceae)

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Abstract

Reliance on clonal reproduction is associated with an increased risk of extinction. Grevillea infecunda is a rare, putatively sterile shrub restricted to 11 populations in a localized coastal region of south-eastern Australia. We assessed the genetic diversity, clonal diversity and spatial distribution of clones in all populations of G. infecunda to guide conservation management. Eight chloroplast haplotypes were identified from the trnL – trnF and trnQ – rps16 intergenic spacer regions. All individuals belonged to a single maternal lineage dominated by one haplotype (95/111 samples). Minor haplotypes differed from the common haplotype only by single mutational steps. However, microsatellite markers revealed 89 multilocus genotypes (MLGs) in 38 multilocus lineages (MLLs) of variable size. MLLs were not shared among populations and ramets from different MLLs rarely intermingled physically. New shoots arising after fire were confirmed to belong to previously-existing MLLs, indicating that this species exhibits adaptation to fire. Genetically similar MLGs were more likely to be found in close proximity than less similar MLGs, resulting in significant spatial autocorrelation to ca 350 m. Genetic diversity was moderate but genotypic diversity was low once likely clonality was taken into account. Clonality appears to have arisen several times within the holly-leafed grevilleas and examining G. infecunda is a step towards understanding why and how often clonality occurs, and the long-term evolutionary outcomes of this life history.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Alcoa Australia for financial support. Cybec Foundation provided funding for Marc Freestone who was the recipient of a Willis Summer Studentship and contributed to the project. Alisdair Macleod (Australian Automotive Research Centre, Anglesea, VIC) provided access to population PG. We also thank Margaret McDonald, ANGAIR and members of the G. infecunda Recovery Team for much appreciated advice, and Gavan McCarthy for assistance in the field.

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  1. G K Brown

    Present address: Queensland Herbarium, DSITI, Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, QLD, 4066, Australia

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  1. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, Private Bag 2000, South Yarra, Melbourne, VIC, 3141, Australia

    E A James

  2. School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    E A James & G K Brown

  3. Bio21 Institute, School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia

    R Jordan & P C Griffin

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James, E.A., Jordan, R., Brown, G.K. et al. Assessing the genetic legacy of a rare, clonal Australian shrub Grevillea infecunda (Proteaceae). Folia Geobot 52, 387–400 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12224-016-9258-8

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