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A population genetic evaluation of ecological restoration with the case study on Cyclobalanopsis myrsinaefolia (Fagaceae)

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Abstract

The ultimate goal of ecological restoration is to create a self-sustaining ecosystem that is resilient to perturbation without further assistance. Genetic variation is a prerequisite for evolutionary response to environmental changes. However, few studies have evaluated the genetic structure of restored populations of dominant plants. In this study, we compared genetic variation of the restored populations with the natural ones in Cyclobalanopsis myrsinaefolia, a dominant species of evergreen broadleaved forest. Using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci, we analyzed samples collected from restored populations and the donor population as well as two other natural populations. We compared the genetic diversity of restored and natural populations. Differences in genetic composition were evaluated using measurements of genetic differentiation and assignment tests. The mean number of alleles per locus was 4.65. Three parameters (A, A R, and expected heterozygosity) of genetic variation were found to be lower, but not significantly, in the restored populations than they were in the natural populations, indicating a founder effect during the restoration. Significant but low F ST (0.061) was observed over all loci, indicating high gene flow among populations, as expected from its wind-pollination. Differentiation between the two restored populations was smallest. However, differences between the donor population and the restored populations were higher than those between other natural populations and the restored populations. Only 13.5% and 25.7% individuals in the two restored populations were assigned to the donor population, but 54.1 and 40% were assigned to another natural population. The genetic variation of the donor population was lowest, and geographic distances from the restoration sites to the donor site were much higher than the other natural populations, indicating that the present donor likely was not the best donor for these ecological restoration efforts. However, no deleterious consequences might be observed in restored populations due to high observed heterozygosity and high gene flow. This study demonstrates that during the restoration process, genetic structures of the restored populations may be biased from the donor population. The results also highlight population genetic knowledge, especially of gene flow-limited species, in ecological restoration.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Xin-Sheng Hu, E. Witkowski, and an anonymous reviewer for critical comments on the earlier version of the manuscript and J. P. Sniadecki of Harvard University for English improvement. We thank Xi-Hua Wang for providing detail information about the donor population and Liang-Jun Da for suggestions on the restored populations. The study was supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China (30130060), Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University (NCET-05-0431) and Heshan Hilly Interdisciplinary Experimental Station Research Foundation to Xiao-Yong Chen and Ph.D Program Scholarship Fund of ECNU 2006 to Mei-Hua Liu.

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  1. Department of Environmental Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory for Ecological Processes and Restoration in Urban Areas, East China Normal University, Zhongshan R (N.) 3663, Shanghai, 200062, P. R. China

    Mei-Hua Liu, Xiao-Yong Chen, Xin Zhang & Dong-Wei Shen

  2. Tiantong State Field Observation and Research Station for Forest Ecosystems, Ningbo, 315114, P. R. China

    Xiao-Yong Chen

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  1. Mei-Hua Liu
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Correspondence to Xiao-Yong Chen.

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Liu, MH., Chen, XY., Zhang, X. et al. A population genetic evaluation of ecological restoration with the case study on Cyclobalanopsis myrsinaefolia (Fagaceae). Plant Ecol 197, 31–41 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9357-y

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