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Kpatènon MJ, Salako KV, Santoni S, Zekraoui L, Latreille M, Tollon-Cordet C, Mariac C, Jaligot E, Beulé T, Adéoti K. Transferability, development of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and application to the analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of the African fan palm (Borassus aethiopum Mart.) in Benin. BMC Genet 2020; 21:145. [PMID: 33272218 PMCID: PMC7713368 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-020-00955-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In Sub-Saharan Africa, Borassus aethiopum Mart. (African fan palm) is an important non-timber forest product-providing palm that faces multiple anthropogenic threats to its genetic diversity. However, this species is so far under-studied, which prevents its sustainable development as a resource. The present work is a first attempt at characterizing the genetic diversity and population structure of B. aethiopum across nine collection sites spanning the three climatic regions of Benin, West Africa, through the use of microsatellite markers. Results During a first phase we relied on the reported transferability of primers developed in other palm species. We find that, in disagreement with previously published results, only 22.5% of the markers tested enable amplification of B. aethiopum DNA and polymorphism detection is very low. In a second phase, we generated a B. aethiopum-specific genomic dataset through high-throughput sequencing and used it for the de novo detection of microsatellite loci. Among the primer pairs targeting these, 11 detected polymorphisms and were further used for analyzing genetic diversity. Across the nine sites, expected heterozygosity (He) ranges from 0.263 to 0.451 with an overall average of 0.354, showing a low genetic diversity. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) shows that within-site variation accounts for 53% of the genetic variation. Accordingly, the low number of migrants and positive values of the fixation index (F) in sites from both the Central (Sudano-Guinean) and the Southern (Guinean) climatic regions suggest limited gene flow between sites. The global correlation between genetic and geographic distances is weak; however, our clustering analyses indicate that B. aethiopum palms from Savè (Center) are genetically more similar to those from the North than to samples from other Central sites. Conclusions In the light of our results, we discuss the use of inter-species transfer vs. de novo development of microsatellite markers in genetic diversity analyses targeting under-studied species, and suggest future applications for our molecular resources. We propose that, while prominent short-range pollen and seed dispersal in Benin explain most of our results, gene flux between the Central and Northern regions, as a result of animal and/or human migrations, might underlie the Savè discrepancy. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-020-00955-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariano Joly Kpatènon
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Technologie Alimentaire (LAMITA), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.,Biodiversité et Ecologie des Plantes (BDEP), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.,DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Kolawolé Valère Salako
- Biodiversité et Ecologie des Plantes (BDEP), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.,Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d'Estimations Forestières (LABEF), Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin
| | - Sylvain Santoni
- AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Muriel Latreille
- AGAP, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Estelle Jaligot
- DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, Montpellier, France.,CIRAD, UMR DIADE, Montpellier, France
| | - Thierry Beulé
- DIADE, Univ Montpellier, IRD, Montpellier, France.,CIRAD, UMR DIADE, Montpellier, France
| | - Kifouli Adéoti
- Laboratoire de Microbiologie et de Technologie Alimentaire (LAMITA), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin. .,Biodiversité et Ecologie des Plantes (BDEP), Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université d'Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Bénin.
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Montúfar R, Recalde A, Couvreur TLP. High genetic diversity with low connectivity among
Mauritia flexuosa
(Arecaceae) stands from Ecuadorean Amazonia. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rommel Montúfar
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Quito Ecuador
| | - Andrés Recalde
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Quito Ecuador
| | - Thomas L. P. Couvreur
- Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador Quito Ecuador
- IRD, DIADE Univ Montpellier Montpellier France
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Albuquerque UP, Gonçalves PHS, Ferreira Júnior WS, Chaves LS, Oliveira RCDS, Silva TLLD, Santos GCD, Araújo EDL. Humans as niche constructors: Revisiting the concept of chronic anthropogenic disturbances in ecology. Perspect Ecol Conserv 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.pecon.2017.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Bufford JL, Gaoue OG. Defoliation by pastoralists affects savanna tree seedling dynamics by limiting the facilitative role of canopy cover. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 25:1319-1329. [PMID: 26485958 DOI: 10.1890/14-0953.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Recurrent tree defoliation by pastoralists, akin to herbivory, can negatively affect plant reproduction and population dynamics. However, our understanding of the indirect role of defoliation in seedling recruitment and tree-grass dynamics in tropical savanna is limited. In West African savanna, Fulani pastoralists frequently defoliate several fodder tree species to feed livestock in the dry season. We investigated the direct and indirect effects of recurrent defoliation of African mahogany (Khaya senegalensis) by Fulani people on seedling (< 2 cm basal diameter) and sapling dynamics in West Africa using four years of demographic data on seedling and sapling density, growth, and survival, coupled with fruit production and microhabitat data over the same time period. Tree canopy cover facilitated seedlings but had negative effects on sapling growth possibly via intraspecific competition with adult plants. Interspecific competition with grasses strongly reduced seedling survival but had a weak effect on sapling growth. Fire reduced seedling survival and weakly reduced growth of seedlings and saplings, but did not affect sapling survival. These results indicate that the effect of fire on seedlings and saplings is distinct, a mechanism suitable for an episodic recruitment of seedlings into the sapling stage and consistent with predictions from the demographic bottleneck model. Defoliation affected seedling density and sapling growth through changes in canopy cover, but had no effect on seedling growth and sapling survival. In the moist region, sapling density was higher in sites with low-intensity defoliation, indicating that defoliation may strengthen the tree recruitment bottleneck. Our study suggests that large-scale defoliation can alter the facilitative role of nurse trees on seedling dynamics and tree-sapling competition. Given that tree defoliation by local people is a widespread activity throughout savanna-forest systems in West Africa, it has the potential to affect tree-grass coexistence. Incorporating the influence of large tree defoliation into existing models of savanna dynamics can further our understanding of tree-grass coexistence and improve management. A rotating harvest system, which allows seedlings to recruit episodically, or a patchwork harvest, which maintains some nursery trees in the mosaic, could help sustain seedling recruitment and minimize the indirect effects of harvest.
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