Journal
CONSERVATION BIOLOGY
Volume 35, Issue 2, Pages 634-642Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13602
Keywords
allelic richness; evolutionary processes; microsatellites; prioritization; protected-area systems; reserve selection; systematic conservation planning; refugia
Funding
- Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement [PTDC/BIA-BIC/3545/2014]
- European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
- Portuguese National funds through FundacAo para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT) [DL57/2016, UIDB/50027/2020, CEECIND/01464/2017]
- FCT [IF/01425/2014]
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [PTDC/BIA-BIC/3545/2014] Funding Source: FCT
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This study evaluated the effectiveness of potential surrogate-based approaches for prioritizing protected-area systems based on microsatellite genetic data collected across the Iberian Peninsula for amphibian and reptilian species. Long-term environmental suitability did not effectively represent high genetic diversity sites, and geographic distances as well as resistance distances were not always effective surrogates for identifying sites with individuals of different genetic compositions.
Protected-area systems should conserve intraspecific genetic diversity. Because genetic data require resources to obtain, several approaches have been proposed for generating plans for protected-area systems (prioritizations) when genetic data are not available. Yet such surrogate-based approaches remain poorly tested. We evaluated the effectiveness of potential surrogate-based approaches based on microsatellite genetic data collected across the Iberian Peninsula for 7 amphibian and 3 reptilian species. Long-term environmental suitability did not effectively represent sites containing high genetic diversity (allelic richness). Prioritizations based on long-term environmental suitability had similar performance to random prioritizations. Geographic distances and resistance distances based on contemporary environmental suitability were not always effective surrogates for identification of combinations of sites that contain individuals with different genetic compositions. Our results demonstrate that population genetic data based on commonly used neutral markers can inform prioritizations, and we could not find an adequate substitute. Conservation planners need to weigh the potential benefits of genetic data against their acquisition costs.
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