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Aitken SN, Jordan R, Tumas HR. Conserving Evolutionary Potential: Combining Landscape Genomics with Established Methods to Inform Plant Conservation. ANNUAL REVIEW OF PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 75:707-736. [PMID: 38594931 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-070523-044239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/11/2024]
Abstract
Biodiversity conservation requires conserving evolutionary potential-the capacity for wild populations to adapt. Understanding genetic diversity and evolutionary dynamics is critical for informing conservation decisions that enhance adaptability and persistence under environmental change. We review how emerging landscape genomic methods provide plant conservation programs with insights into evolutionary dynamics, including local adaptation and its environmental drivers. Landscape genomic approaches that explore relationships between genomic variation and environments complement rather than replace established population genomic and common garden approaches for assessing adaptive phenotypic variation, population structure, gene flow, and demography. Collectively, these approaches inform conservation actions, including genetic rescue, maladaptation prediction, and assisted gene flow. The greatest on-the-ground impacts from such studies will be realized when conservation practitioners are actively engaged in research and monitoring. Understanding the evolutionary dynamics shaping the genetic diversity of wild plant populations will inform plant conservation decisions that enhance the adaptability and persistence of species in an uncertain future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally N Aitken
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; ,
| | | | - Hayley R Tumas
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada; ,
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Carr Kelman C, Barton CJ, Whitman K, Lhoest S, Anderson DM, Gerber LR. Five approaches to producing actionable science in conservation. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2023; 37:e14039. [PMID: 36511152 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The knowledge produced by conservation scientists must be actionable in order to address urgent conservation challenges. To understand the process of creating actionable science, we interviewed 71 conservation scientists who had participated in 1 of 3 fellowship programs focused on training scientists to become agents of change. Using a grounded theory approach, we identified 16 activities that these researchers employed to make their scientific products more actionable. Some activities were more common than others and, arguably, more foundational. We organized these activities into 3 nested categories (motivations, strategies, and tactics). Using a co-occurrence matrix, we found that most activities were positively correlated. These correlations allowed us to identify 5 approaches, framed as profiles, to actionable science: the discloser, focused on open access; the educator, focused on science communication; the networker, focused on user needs and building relationships; the collaborator, focused on boundary spanning; and the pluralist, focused on knowledge coproduction resulting in valuable outcomes for all parties. These profiles build on one another in a hierarchy determined by their complexity and level of engagement, their potential to support actionable science, and their proximity to ideal coproduction with knowledge users. Our results provide clear guidance for conservation scientists to generate actionable science to address the global biodiversity conservation challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Candice Carr Kelman
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Sustainability, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Chris J Barton
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Kyle Whitman
- Office of University Affairs, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Simon Lhoest
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Forest is Life, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Derrick M Anderson
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- ASU School of Public Affairs, Phoenix, Arizona, USA
| | - Leah R Gerber
- Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
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Chung MY, Merilä J, Li J, Mao K, López-Pujol J, Tsumura Y, Chung MG. Neutral and adaptive genetic diversity in plants: An overview. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2023.1116814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Genetic diversity is a prerequisite for evolutionary change in all kinds of organisms. It is generally acknowledged that populations lacking genetic variation are unable to evolve in response to new environmental conditions (e.g., climate change) and thus may face an increased risk of extinction. Although the importance of incorporating genetic diversity into the design of conservation measures is now well understood, less attention has been paid to the distinction between neutral (NGV) and adaptive (AGV) genetic variation. In this review, we first focus on the utility of NGV by examining the ways to quantify it, reviewing applications of NGV to infer ecological and evolutionary processes, and by exploring its utility in designing conservation measures for plant populations and species. Against this background, we then summarize the ways to identify and estimate AGV and discuss its potential use in plant conservation. After comparing NGV and AGV and considering their pros and cons in a conservation context, we conclude that there is an urgent need for a better understanding of AGV and its role in climate change adaptation. To date, however, there are only a few AGV studies on non-model plant species aimed at deciphering the genetic and genomic basis of complex trait variation. Therefore, conservation researchers and practitioners should keep utilizing NGV to develop relevant strategies for rare and endangered plant species until more estimates of AGV are available.
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Molecular ecology meets systematic conservation planning. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:143-155. [PMID: 36210287 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Integrative and proactive conservation approaches are critical to the long-term persistence of biodiversity. Molecular data can provide important information on evolutionary processes necessary for conserving multiple levels of biodiversity (genes, populations, species, and ecosystems). However, molecular data are rarely used to guide spatial conservation decision-making. Here, we bridge the fields of molecular ecology (ME) and systematic conservation planning (SCP) (the 'why') to build a foundation for the inclusion of molecular data into spatial conservation planning tools (the 'how'), and provide a practical guide for implementing this integrative approach for both conservation planners and molecular ecologists. The proposed framework enhances interdisciplinary capacity, which is crucial to achieving the ambitious global conservation goals envisioned for the next decade.
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Thompson LM, Thurman LL, Cook CN, Beever EA, Sgrò CM, Battles A, Botero CA, Gross JE, Hall KR, Hendry AP, Hoffmann AA, Hoving C, LeDee OE, Mengelt C, Nicotra AB, Niver RA, Pérez‐Jvostov F, Quiñones RM, Schuurman GW, Schwartz MK, Szymanski J, Whiteley A. Connecting research and practice to enhance the evolutionary potential of species under climate change. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Thompson
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Climate Adaptation Science Center and the University of Tennessee Knoxville Tennessee USA
| | | | - Carly N. Cook
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Australia
| | - Erik A. Beever
- USGS, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center and Montana State University Bozeman Montana USA
| | - Carla M. Sgrò
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Melbourne Australia
| | | | | | - John E. Gross
- National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Response Program Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Olivia E. LeDee
- USGS, Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center Saint Paul Minnesota USA
| | | | | | - Robyn A. Niver
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Branch of Listing and Policy Support Bailey's Crossroads Virginia USA
| | | | - Rebecca M. Quiñones
- Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife Westborough Massachusetts USA
| | - Gregor W. Schuurman
- National Park Service (NPS) Climate Change Response Program Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Michael K. Schwartz
- U.S. Forest Service, National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation Missoula Montana USA
| | - Jennifer Szymanski
- USFWS, Branch of SSA Science Support, Division of Endangered Species Onalaska Wisconsin USA
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Thurman LL, Gross JE, Mengelt C, Beever EA, Thompson LM, Schuurman GW, Hoving CL, Olden JD. Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural-resource management in a changing climate. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2022; 36:e13838. [PMID: 34622995 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2021] [Revised: 08/13/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive capacity (AC)-the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change-is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species' AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species' attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing species' AC and management actions that may enhance AC for species at risk of extinction. Management actions were identified based on evidence from the literature, a review of actions used in other climate adaptation guidance, and our collective experience in diverse fields of global-change ecology and climate adaptation. Selected management actions support the general AC pathways of persist in place or shift in space, in response to contemporary climate change. Some actions, such as genetic manipulations, can be used to directly alter the ability of species to cope with climate change, whereas other actions can indirectly enhance AC by addressing ecological or anthropogenic constraints on the expression of a species' innate abilities to adapt. Ours is the first synthesis of potential management actions directly linked to AC. Focusing on AC attributes helps improve understanding of how and why aspects of climate are affecting organisms, as well as the mechanisms by which management interventions affect a species' AC and climate change vulnerability. Adaptive-capacity-informed climate adaptation is needed to build connections among the causes of vulnerability, AC, and proposed management actions that can facilitate AC and reduce vulnerability in support of evolving conservation paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey L Thurman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
| | - John E Gross
- National Park Service, Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Claudia Mengelt
- U.S. Geological Survey, Land Management Research Program, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - Erik A Beever
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Laura M Thompson
- U.S. Geological Survey, National Climate Adaptation Science Center, Reston, Virginia, USA
- Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Gregor W Schuurman
- National Park Service, Climate Change Response Program, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | | | - Julian D Olden
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
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