How do rare Boronia species differ from their more widespread congeners?
A. Shapcott A B , R. W. Lamont A and A. Thomson AA University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore DC 4558, Qld, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: ashapcot@usc.edu.au
Australian Journal of Botany 53(2) 171-183 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT03183
Submitted: 18 December 2003 Accepted: 21 October 2004 Published: 31 March 2005
Abstract
The vulnerable Boronia keysii Domin. (Rutaceae; BK) and the rare B. rivularis White. (BR), endemic to the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, and the more widespread B. safrolifera Cheel. (BS) and B. falcifolia (BF), were studied. The taxonomic distinctiveness between the morphologically similar B. rivularis and its more southern congener B. safrolifera had previously been in question. This study clearly confirmed the long genetic separation of these two species. High levels of reproductive activity (%R) were observed in both of the threatened species (B. keysii: %R = 84; B. rivularis: %R = 66), which were also found to differ fundamentally in response to fire (obligate seed regenerators) from the more widespread species (facultative resprouters). Genetic diversity was not consistently related to rarity since B. keysii (vulnerable; He = 0.282) and B. falcifolia (common; He = 0.294) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher genetic diversity than did B. rivularis (rare; He = 0.155) and B. safrolifera (common; He = 0.197). There was no relationship between population differentiation and geographic distribution of species since B. keysii (FST = 0.293) and B. safrolifera (FST = 0.283) exhibited lower between-population diversity than did B. rivularis (FST = 0.360) and B. falcifolia (FST = 0.324). The average number of migrants per generation was less than one in all species (Nm = 0.604 for BK; 0.444 for BR; 0.634 for BS; 0.522 for BF). All four species are effectively inbred; however, B. keysii (F = 0.85) and B. falcifolia (F = 0.90) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher levels of inbreeding than did B. rivularis (F = 0.621) and B. safrolifera (F = 0.472), indicating that inbreeding was not determined by conservation status.
Acknowledgments
The project was funded by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and the University of the Sunshine Coast. We thank Julia Playford, Rowena, Thomas, Bill French, Mark Dargusch, Ivan Thrash, Ian Lawnton, Damian Head, Adrian Walker from QPWS; Paul Forster, Tony Bean, Ailsa Holland, Bill McDonald from Qld Herbarium; Brian Wilson from Department of Natural Resources; Rosalie Eustace, Jonathon Moore from Redland Shire Council; Dave Burrows from Noosa Shire Council; Noosa Landcare, Arthur Harrold and Noosa Parks Association; John Ward from Bribie Island Wallum Action Group; Tim Perry, Brian McLachlan from New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service. Thanks go to landowners for access to their property, and to Andrew Benwell and Carolyn Sandercoe for access to species data.
Adams WT, Joly RJ
(1980) Genetics of allozyme variation in loblolly pine. Journal of Heredity 71, 33–40.
Argyres AZ, Schmitt J
(1991) Microgeographic genetic structure of morphological and lifehistory traits in a natural population of Impatiens capensis. Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 45, 178–189.
Berg, RY (1981). The role of ants in seed dispersal in Australian lowland heathland. In ‘Ecosystems of the world, vol. 9B: heathlands and related shrublands, analytical studies’. pp. 51–59. (Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam)
Brewbaker JL,
Upadhya MD,
Makinen Y, Macdonald T
(1968) Isozyme polymorphism in flowering plants. III Gel electrophoretic methods and applications. Physiologia Plantarum 21, 930–940.
Briggs, JD ,
and
Leigh, JH (1996). ‘Rare or threatened Australian plants.’ Revised edn . (CSIRO: Canberra)
Broadhurst LM,
Coates DJ, Tan BH
(1999) Genetic diversity in the monospecific Western Australian endemic, Geleznowia verrucosa Turcz. (Rutaceae). Heredity 82, 292–299.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Brown AHD,
Nevo E,
Zohary D, Dagan O
(1978) Genetic variation in natural populations of wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum). Genetics 49, 97–108.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Burdon JJ,
Marshall DR, Groves RH
(1980) Isozyme variation in Chondrilla juncea L. in Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 28, 193–198.
Burgman MA,
Possingham HP,
Lynch JA,
Keith DA,
McCarthy MA,
Hopper SD,
Drury WL,
Passioura JA, Devries RJ
(2001) A method for setting the size of plant conservation target areas. Conservation Biology 15, 603–614.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Coates DJ, Hopper SD
(2000) Preface: genetics and conservation of Australian flora. Australian Journal of Botany 48, i–iii.
| Crossref |
Coates DJ, Sokolowski RES
(1992) The mating system and patterns of genetic variation in Banksia cuneata A.S.George (Proteaceae). Heredity 69, 11–20.
Cockburn, A (1991). ‘An introduction to evolutionary ecology.’ (Blackwell: London)
Conkle, MT ,
Hodgskiss, PD ,
Nunnally, LB ,
and
Hunter, SC (1982). Starch gel electrophoresis of conifer seeds: a laboratory manual. US Department of Agriculture General Technical Report: PSW 64.
Cowling RM, Holmes PM
(1992) Endemism and speciation in a lowland flora from the Cape Floristic Region. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 47, 367–383.
Crawford, DJ (1989). Enzyme electrophoresis and plant systematics. In ‘Isozymes in plant biology’. pp. 147–164. (Chapman and Hall: London)
Crawford, DJ ,
Whitkus, R ,
and
Stuessy, TF (1987). Plant evolution and speciation on oceanic islands. In ‘Differentiation patterns in higher plants’. pp. 183–199. (Academic Press: London)
Ellstrand NC, Elam DR
(1993) Population genetic consequences of small population size: implications for plant conservation. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 24, 217–242.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Enright NJ,
Marsula R,
Lamont BB, Wissel C
(1998) The ecological significance of canopy seed storage in fire-prone environments: a model for resprouting shrubs. Journal of Ecology 86, 960–973.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Frankham R
(1995) Conservation genetics. Annual Review of Genetics 29, 305–327.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Franceschinelli EV, Bawa KS
(2000) The effects of ecological factors on the mating system of a South American shrub species Helecteres brevispira. Heredity 84, 116–123.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Frankham, R ,
Ballou, JD ,
and
Briscoe, DA (2002). ‘Introduction to conservation genetics.’ (Cambridge University Press: UK)
Gill, AM ,
and
Groves, RH (1981). Fire regimes in heathlands and their plant-ecological effects. In ‘Ecosystems of the world, vol. 9B: heathlands and related shrublands, analytical studies’. pp. 61–84. (Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam)
Gitzendanner MA, Soltis PS
(2000) Patterns of variation in rare and widespread plant congeners. American Journal of Botany 87, 783–792.
| PubMed |
Godt MJW, Hamrick JL
(1996) Genetic structure of two endangered pitcher plants Sarracenia jonesii and Sarracenia oreophila (Sarrenceniaceae). Conservation Biology 10, 796–805.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Godt MJW,
Hamrick JL, Bratton S
(1994) Genetic diversity in a threatened wetland species, Helonias bullata (Liliaceae). Conservation Biology 9, 569–604.
Gottlieb LD
(1981) Electrophoretic evidence and plant populations. Progress in Phytochemistry 7, 1–46.
Guries RP, Ledig FT
(1978) Inheritance of some polymorphic isoenzymes in pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.). Heredity 40, 27–32.
Hamrick, JL ,
and
Godt, MJW (1989). Allozyme diversity in plant species. In ‘Plant population genetics, breeding and genetic resources’. pp. 43–63. (Sinauer Associates: Sunderland, MA)
Harrold, AG ,
McDonald, WJF ,
Hopkins, MS ,
Walker, J ,
Sandercoe, CS ,
and
Thompson, CH (1987). ‘Studies in landscape dynamics in the Cooloola–Noosa River area, Queensland: 5. Vascular plants.’ (CSIRO: Brisbane)
Henderson, RJF (2002). Names and distribution of Queensland plants, Algae and Lichens. (Environmental Protection Agency: Brisbane)
Hogbin PM, Peakall R
(1999) Evaluation of the contribution of genetic research to the management of the endangered plant Zieria prostrata. Conservation Biology 13, 514–522.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Hopper SD
(1979) Biogeographical aspects of speciation in the southwestern Australian flora. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 10, 399–422.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Keith DA
(2003) Population Dynamics of an endangered heathland shrub, Epacris stuartii (Epacridaceae): recruitment, establishment and survival. Australian Journal of Botany 27, 67–76.
Krauss SL
(1997) Low genetic diversity in Persoonia mollis (Proteaceae), a fire-sensitive shrub occurring in a fire-prone habitat. Heredity 78, 41–49.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Kruckeberg AR, Rabinowitz D
(1985) Biological aspects of endemism in higher plants. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 16, 447–479.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lebler, BA (1977). ‘Wildflowers of South Eastern Queensland.’ (Department of Primary Industry: Brisbane)
Levene H
(1949) On a matching problem arising in genetics. Annals of Mathematics and Statistics 20, 91–94.
Levin, DA (2000). ‘The origin, expansion, and demise of plant species.’ (Oxford University Press: New York)
Loveless MD, Hamrick JL
(1984) Ecological determinants of genetic structure in plant populations. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 15, 65–95.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Lynch AJJ, Vaillancourt RE
(1995) Genetic diversity in the endangered Phebalium daviesii (Rutaceae) compared to that in two widespread congeners. Australian Journal of Botany 43, 181–191.
McFarland DC
(1988) Fire and the vegetation composition and structure of subtropical heathlands in south-eastern Queensland. Australian Journal of Botany 36, 533–546.
Moran, GF ,
and
Bell, JC (1983). Eucalyptus. In ‘Isozymes in plant genetics and breeding, Part B’. pp. 423–441. (Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam)
Moran GF, Hopper SD
(1983) Genetic diversity and the insular population structure of the rare granite rock species Eucalyptus caesia Benth. Australian Journal of Botany 31, 161–172.
Morley, BD ,
and
Toelken, HR (1983). ‘Flowering Plants in Australia.’ (Wiley: Melbourne)
Morrison DA
(2002) Effects of fire intensity on plant species composition of sandstone communities in the Sydney region. Austral Ecology 27, 433–441.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Nei M
(1978) Estimation of average heterozygosity and genetic distance from a small number of individuals. Genetics 89, 583–590.
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (1998). Recovery Plan. (NSW NPWS: Sydney)
New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (2002). Draft Recovery Plan for (Granite Boronia). (NSW NPWS: Sydney)
Pelton GA, Conran JG
(2002) Comparison of two rolled sandy heath communities within a single fire patch in Ngarkat Conservation Park, South Australia. Austral Ecology 27, 85–94.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Plummer, JA ,
Wann, JM ,
Considene, JA ,
and
Spadek, ZE (1996). Selection of Boronia for essential oils and cut flowers. In ‘Progress in new crops’. pp. 602–609. (ASHS Press: Arlington, VA)
Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning
(2002)
Sandercoe, C (1989). ‘The ecology of Domin. in relation to fire.’ (Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service: Brisbane)
Sandercoe CS
(1991) Blandfordia grandiflora R.Br. (Christmas bell) in Queensland—a distribution survey. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 101, 119–123.
Scandalios JG
(1969) Genetic control of multiple forms of enzymes in plants: a review. Biochemical Genetics 3, 37–79.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shapcott A
(2002) Conservation genetics and ecology of the endangered rainforest shrub, Triunia robusta, from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. Australian Journal of Botany 50, 93–105.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Shaw CR, Prasad R
(1970) Starch gel electrophoresis of enzymes—A compilation of recipes. Biochemical Genetics 4, 297–320.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | PubMed |
Slatkin M, Barton NH
(1989) A comparison of three indirect methods for estimating average levels of gene flow. Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 43, 1349–1368.
Sneath, PHA ,
and
Sokal, RR (1973). ‘Numerical taxonomy: the principles and practice of numerical classification.’ (Freeman Press: San Francisco, CA)
Soltis PS, Soltis DE
(1991) Genetic variation in endemic and widespread plant species: examples from Saxifragaceae and Polystichum (Dryopteridaceae). Aliso 13, 215–223.
Specht, RL (1979). The sclerophyllous (heath) vegetation of Australia: The eastern and central states. In ‘Ecosystems of the world, vol. 9A: heathlands and related shrublands, descriptive studies’. pp. 125–210. (Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam)
Specht, RL (1994). Heathlands. In ‘Australian vegetation’. (Cambridge University Press: UK)
Specht, RL ,
and
Specht, A (1999). ‘Australian plant communities; dynamics of structure, growth and biodiversity’. (Oxford University Press: Melbourne)
Stacy EA,
Hamrick JL,
Nason JD,
Hubbell SP,
Foster RB, Condit R
(1996) Pollen dispersal in low density populations of three neotropical tree species. American Naturalist 148, 275–298.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Stanley, TD ,
and
Ross, EM (1995). ‘Flora of south-eastern Queensland, vol. 1.’ (Department of Primary Industry: Brisbane)
Thomas JC, Bond WJ
(1997) Genetic variation in an endangered cedar (Widdringtonia cedarbergensis) versus two congeneric species. South African Journal of Botany 63, 133–140.
Turner ME,
Stephens JC, Anderson WW
(1982) Homozygosity and patch structure in plant populations as a result of nearest-neighbour pollination. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 79, 203–207.
Wang, J (1997). Boronia rivularis, Queensland conservation status. In ‘Flora and fauna information system, species management manual, vol. 3’. (Department of Natural Resources: Brisbane)
Warton DI, Wardle GM
(2003) Site to site variation in the demography of a fire-affected perennial, Acacia suaveolens, at Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales, Australia. Austral Ecology 28, 38–47.
| Crossref |
Watson, P (2001). ‘The role and use of fire for biodiversity conservation in Southeast Queensland: fire management guidelines derived from ecological research.’ (Fire and Biodiversity Consortium: Brisbane)
Wendel, JF ,
and
Weeden, NF (1989). Visualization and interpretation of plant isozymes. In ‘Isozymes in plant biology’. pp. 5–45. (Chapman and Hall: London)
White CT
(1942) Contributions to the Queensland flora, no. 7. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 53, 206–207.
Williams, KAW (1980). ‘Native plants, Queensland. Vol. 1.’ (Williams: Ipswich)
Witkowski ETF, Lamont BB
(1997) Does the rare Banksia goodii have inferior vegetative, reproductive or ecological attributes compared with its widespread co-occurring relative B. gardnerii? Journal of Biogeography 24, 469–482.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Witter MS
(1987) Adaptive radiation and genetic differentiation in the Hawaiian silversword alliance (Compositae: Madiinae). American Journal of Botany 74, 766.
Wright S
(1965) The interpretation of population structure by F-statistics with special regard to systems of mating. Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution 19, 395–420.
Wright, S (1978). ‘Evolution and the genetics of populations, vol. 4. Variability within and among natural populations.’ (University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL)
Yeh, FC ,
Yang, R-C ,
Boyle, TJB ,
Ye, Z-H ,
and
Mao, JX (1997). ‘POPGENE, version 1.31. User-friendly shareware for population genetic analysis.’ (Molecular Biology and Biotechnology Centre: University of Alberta, Canada)
Young AG, Brown AHD
(1998) Comparative analysis of the mating system of the rare woodland shrub Daviesia suaveolens and its common congener D. mimosoides. Heredity 80, 374–381.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
Young, AG ,
and
Clarke, GM (Eds) (2000). ‘Genetics, demography and viability of fragmented populations.’ (Cambridge University Press: UK)
