Is there selection by species diversity in Picea abies L.?

In view of the progressive destruction of the biosphere, biodiversity research plays an important role in the search for factors affecting species diversity and in the analysis of the effects of species diversity on ecosystems. However, research into how species diversity and composition are related to genetic structures is still at the beginning. In this study, we combined population genomics, new correlative approaches, and randomization permutation methods to identify adaptive genetic differentiation in populations of the Norway spruce Picea abies L. that display different levels of species diversity. We detected a significant positive large covariation (C) between species diversity (nu (a) ) and genotype frequency at a gene locus, resulting from differential selection by species diversity or by environmental factors. The results may contribute to understand the interplay between ecological and evolutionary processes in determining community structure and dynamics.