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Genetic diversity of six arable plants in relation to their Red List status

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Abstract

In Central Germany and throughout Europe, arable plants count among some of the most endangered plant species. Over the last few decades, the number and size of populations have been in sharp decline due to modern land use techniques, including the application of fertilizers, herbicide use and seed cleaning procedures. As arable plant species are underrepresented in population genetic studies, it is unknown whether agricultural intensification has affected the extant populations, and whether genetic structure varies among species with differing vulnerability in respect of their Red List status. We sampled 53 populations from 6 arable plant species throughout Central Germany. Random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses (RAPD) were applied to calculate measures of genetic diversity at the population level and genetic differentiation. Genetic diversity was found to be lowest in Bupleurum rotundifolium and Anagallis foemina, and highest in Consolida regalis and Nigella arvensis. The highest levels of genetic differentiation were observed among populations of An. foemina and B. rotundifolium but within populations in all other species. ΦST values differed strongly ranging between 0.116 for C. regalis and 0.679 for An. foemina. Patterns of genetic structure were related to the Red List status for all the species studied except An. foemina, for which it should consequently be raised. Our data confirm that even relatively recent threats are accompanied by detrimental genetic structure. As losses of populations and increased fragmentation have occurred in all common and uncommon species, the situation for arable plants could change for the worse in the following decades, highlighting the need for consistent monitoring.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Jürgen Pusch for introducing us into some parts of the study area, Frank Gottwald for collecting Nigella arvensis material from Brandenburg, and Astrid Bütof for compiling Fig. 1. Birgit Müller provided technical support and the comments of two anonymous referees helped to improve the manuscript. This study is supported by the Graduiertenförderung of Saxony-Anhalt. Daniel McCluskey kindly checked our English.

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  1. Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Am kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany

    C. Brütting & I. Hensen

  2. Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz, P.O. Box 300154, 02806, Görlitz, Germany

    K. Wesche

  3. Department of Plant Ecology and Ecosystem Research, Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg-August-University Göttingen, 37073, Göttingen, Germany

    S. Meyer

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  1. C. Brütting
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Brütting, C., Wesche, K., Meyer, S. et al. Genetic diversity of six arable plants in relation to their Red List status. Biodivers Conserv 21, 745–761 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-011-0212-z

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