Abstract
Systematic research provides essential evidence for setting conservation priorities for rare and endangered taxa. Phylogenetic analyses can identify cryptic, genetically distinct lineages as well as actively interbreeding, and hence, non-distinctive lineages earlier perceived as separate taxa. A major aim of this study was to identify genetically distinct, rare lineages within two Malvaceae sister-genera, Sidalcea and Eremalche. The focus was two taxon-pairs each consisting of one rare and one more common taxon. The results demonstrate that even within two closely related genera, with a large number of rare taxa, molecular phylogenetic analyses can reveal contrasting degrees of evolutionary divergence and thus contrasting conservation implications for threatened taxa. Contrary to expectations, the substitution rate in the nuclear ribosomal transcribed spacers for annual Eremalche did not correspond to the faster evolutionary rate of annuals – compared to perennials – detected earlier within Sidalcea. Branch lengths in the (annual) Eremalche clade were shorter than those of annual members of Sidalcea. The phylogenetic analyses showed that the rare and endangered S. keckii and E. kernensis each are most closely related to a common species that has been regarded as insufficiently distinct to warrant separate taxonomic status. An additional aim of the study was to test the utility of the Phylogenetic Diversity (PD) measure to formalize the procedure of prioritizing conservation efforts. The measure demonstrated S. keckii (but not E. kernensis) to be genetically distinct from its closest relative and a good candidate for conservation. The PD measure was earlier used for assessing conservation priorities for areas, but proved useful to more objectively suggest conservation priorities among threatened taxa. Because this measure is calculated directly from the data, it retains more character information and gives a better representation of genetic diversity than other measures relying on tree topologies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
P-M Agapow R Crozier (1998) Conserve 3.2.2 Department of Human Genetics and Variation, LaTrobe University Melbourne, Australia
K Andreasen BG Baldwin (2001) ArticleTitleUnequal evolutionary rates between annual and perennial lineages of checker mallows Sidalcea, Malvaceae: Evidence from 18S-26S rDNA internal and external transcribed spacers Mol. Biol. Evol. 18 936–944
K Andreasen BG Baldwin (2003a) ArticleTitleNuclear ribosomal DNA sequence polymorphism and hybridization in checker mallows (Sidalcea, Malvaceae) Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 29 563–581
K Andreasen BG Baldwin (2003b) ArticleTitleReexamination of relationships, habital evolution, and phylogeography of checker mallows (Sidalcea, Malvaceae) based on molecular phylogenetic data Am. J. Bot. 90 436–444
K Andreasen BG Baldwin B Bremer (1999) ArticleTitlePhylogenetic utility of the nuclear rDNA ITS region in the subfamily Ixoroideae Rubiaceae: Comparisons with cpDNA rbcL sequence data Plant Syst. Evol. 217 119–135
K Andreasen EA Cypher BG Baldwin (2002) ArticleTitleSympatry between desert mallow, Eremalche exilis and Kern mallow, E. kernenesis (Malvaceae): Molecular and morphological perspectives Madroño 49 22–24
BG Baldwin (2000) ArticleTitleRoles for modern plant systematics in discovery and conservation of fine-scale biodiversity Madroño 47 219–229
BG Baldwin S Markos (1998) ArticleTitlePhylogenetic utility of the external transcribed spacer ETS of 18S-26S rDNA: Congruence of ETS and ITS trees of Calycadenia Compositae Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 10 449–463
BG Baldwin RE Preston BL Wessa M Wetherwax (2001) ArticleTitleA biosystematic and phylogenetic assessment of sympatric taxa in Blepharizonia (Compositae-Madiinae) Syst. Bot. 26 184–194
BG Baldwin MJ Sanderson JM Porter MF Wojciechowski CS Campbell MJ Donoghue (1995) ArticleTitleThe ITS region of nuclear ribosmal DNA: A valuable source of evidence on angiosperm phylogeny Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 82 247–277
FK Barker GF Barrowclough JG Groth (2002) ArticleTitleA phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds: Taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data Proc. R. Lond B. Biol. Sci. 269 295–308
DM Bates (1992) ArticleTitleGynodioecy, endangerment, and status of Eremalche kernensis Malvaceae Phytologia 72 48–54
DM Bates OJ Blanchard (1970) ArticleTitleChromosome numbers in the Malvaceae. II. New or otherwise noteworthy counts relevent to classification in the Malvaceae, Malveae Am. J. Bot. 8 927–934
P Beardsley S Schoenig J Whittall R Olmstead (2004) ArticleTitlePatterns of evolution in western North America Mimulus (Phrymaceae) Am. J. Bot. 91 474
B Bowen S Karl (1999) ArticleTitleIn war, truth is the first casualty Conserv. Biol. 13 1013–1016
J Bousquet SH Strauss AH Doerksen RA Price (1992) ArticleTitleExtensive variation in evolutionary rate of rbcL gene sequences among seed plants Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89 7844–7848
California Native Plant Society (2002) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Vascular Plants of California, California Native Plant Society Press, Sacramento, California
California Native Plant Society (2003) Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants (online edition, v 6.2). Rare Plant Scientific Advisory Committee. California Native Plant Society. Sacramento, California. http://www.cnps.org/inventory
R Crozier (1992) ArticleTitleGenetic diversity and the agony of choice Biol. Conserv. 61 11–15
SR Downie DS Katz-Downie (1996) ArticleTitleA molecular phylogeny of Apiaceae subfamily Apioideae: Evidence from nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer sequences Am. J. Bot. 83 234–251
JJ Doyle JL Doyle (1987) ArticleTitleA rapid DNA isolation procedure for small quantities of fresh leaf tissue Phytochem. Bull. 19 11– 15
P Erixon B Svennblad T Britton B Oxelman (2003) ArticleTitleReliability of Bayesian posterior probabilities and bootstrap frequencies in phylogenetics Syst. Biol. 52 665–673
D Faith (1992) ArticleTitleConservation evaluation and phylogenetic diversity Biol. Conserv. 61 1–10
J Felsenstein (1985) ArticleTitleConfidence limits on phylogenies: An approach using the bootstrap Evolution 39 783–791
PA Fryxell (1988) ArticleTitleMalvaceae of Mexico Syst. Bot. Monogr. 25 1–469
PA Fryxell (1997) ArticleTitleThe American genera of Malvaceae-II Brittonia 49 204–269
SR Hill (1993) Sidalcea JC Hickman (Eds) The Jepson Manual: Higher Plants of California University of California Press Berkeley 755–760
DM Hillis C Moritz BK Mabel (1996) Molecular Systematics Sinauer Associates Sunderland, Massachusetts
JT Howell GH True (1974) ArticleTitleA new Sierran Sidalcea Four Seasons 4 20–22
J Huelsenbeck F Ronquist (2001) ArticleTitleMrBayes. Bayesian Inference of Phylogeny Bioinformatics 17 754–755
TH Kearney (1951) ArticleTitleThe American genera of Malvaceae Am. Midland Nat. 46 93–131
TH Kearney (1956) ArticleTitleNotes on Malvaceae. VIII. Eremalche Madroño 13 241–243
J Laroche J Bousquet (1999) ArticleTitleEvolution of the mitochondrial rps3 intron in perennial and annual angiosperms and homology to nad5 intron 1 Mol. Biol. Evol. 16 441–452
S Malcomber (2002) ArticleTitlePhylogeny of Gaertnera Lam. (Rubiaceae) based on multiple DNA markers: Evidence of a rapid radiation in a widespread, morphologically diverse genus Evolution 56 42–57
A Mast T Givnish (2002) ArticleTitleHistorical biogeography and the origin of stomatal distributions in Banksia and Dryandra (Proteaceae) based on their cpDNA phylogeny Am. J. Bot. 89 1311–1323
B Mishler (1995) ArticleTitlePlant systematics and conservation: Science and society Madroño 42 103–113
C Moritz (1995) ArticleTitleUses of molecular phylogenies for conservation Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 349 113–118
N Myers RA Mittermeier CG Mittermeier GAB da Fonseca J Kents (2000) ArticleTitleBiodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities Nature 400 853–858
Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center (2001) Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species of Oregon (online edition). Oregon Natural Heritage Program, Portland, Oregon http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/
M Pérez-Losada C Jara G Bond-Buckup K Crandall (2002) ArticleTitleConservation phylogenetics of Chilean freshwater crabs Aegla (Anomura, Aeglidae): Assigning priorities for aquatic habitat protection Biol. Conserv. 105 345–353
ASL Rodrigues K Gaston (2002) ArticleTitleMaximising phylogenetic diversity in the seletion of networks of conservation areas Biol. Conserv. 105 103–111
M Simmons M Pickett M Miya (2004) ArticleTitleHow meaningful are Bayesian support values? Mol. Biol. Evol. 21 188–199
M Skinner D Tibor RL Bittman B Ertter TS Ross S Boyd AC Sanders JR Shevock DWm Taylor (1995) ArticleTitleResearch needs for conserving California’s rare plants Madroño 42 211–241
RL Small JA Ryburn RC Cronn T Seelanan JF Wendel (1998) ArticleTitleThe tortoise and the hare: Choosing between noncoding plastome and nuclear adh sequences for phylogeny reconstruction in a recently diverged plant group Am. J. Bot. 85 1301–1315
T Smith K Holder D Girman K O’Keefe B Larison Y Chan (2000) ArticleTitleComparative avian phylogeography of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea mountains: Implications for conservation Mol. Ecol. 9 1505–1516
P Soltis M Gitzendanner (1999) ArticleTitleMolecular systematics and the conservation of rare species Conserv. Biol. 13 471–483
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency (2004) Action Programs for Threatened species. http://www.naturvardsverket.se
DL Swofford (2002) PAUP*: Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony *and Other Methods Sinauer Associates Sunderland, Massachusetts.
LE Urbatsch BG Baldwin MJ Donoghue (2000) ArticleTitlePhylogeny of the coneflowers and relatives Heliantheae: Asteraceae based on nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS sequences and chloroplast DNA restriction site data Syst. Bot. 25 539–565
US Fish and Wildlife Service (2004) Endangered Species Expenditure Reports 1998–2000. http://endangered.fws.gov/expenditures/19982000.html
RI Vane-Wright CJ Humphries PH Williams (1991) ArticleTitleWhat to protect? Systematics and the agony of choice Biol. Conserv. 55 235–254
RI Vane-Wright CR Smith IJ Kitching (1994) Systematic assessment of taxic diversity by summation P Forey C Humphries R Vane-Wright (Eds) Systematics and Conservation Evaluation. Clarendon Press Oxford, United Kingdom 309–326
TJ White T Bruns S Lee J Taylor (1990) Amplification and direct sequencing of fungal ribosomal RNA genes for phylogenetics M Innis D Gelfand J Sninsky TJ White (Eds) PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications Academic Press San Diego, California 315–322
A Whiting S Lawler P Horwitz K Crandall (2000) ArticleTitleBiogeographic regionalization of Australia: Assigning conservation priorities based on endemic crayfish phylogenetics Anim. Conserv. 3 155–163
C-A Whittle M Johnston (2003) ArticleTitleBroad-scale analysis contradicts the theory that generation time affects molecular evolutionary rates in plants J. Mol. Evol. 56 223–233
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Andreasen, K. Implications of molecular systematic analyses on the conservation of rare and threatened taxa: Contrasting examples from Malvaceae. Conserv Genet 6, 399–412 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-005-4977-z
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-005-4977-z