title: Genetic diversity in widespread species is not congruent with species richness in alpine plant communities.
abstract: The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) aims at the conservation of all three levels of biodiversity, that is, ecosystems, species and genes. Genetic diversity represents evolutionary potential and is important for ecosystem functioning. Unfortunately, genetic diversity in natural populations is hardly considered in conservation strategies because it is difficult to measure and has been hypothesised to co-vary with species richness. This means that species richness is taken as a surrogate of genetic diversity in conservation planning, though their relationship has not been properly evaluated. We tested whether the genetic and species levels of biodiversity co-vary, using a large-scale and multi-species approach. We chose the high-mountain flora of the Alps and the Carpathians as study systems and demonstrate that species richness and genetic diversity are not correlated. Species richness thus cannot act as a surrogate for genetic diversity. Our results have important consequences for implementing the CBD when designing conservation strategies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Ecologie Alpine, CNRS UMR 5553, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble Cedex, France. pierre.taberlet@ujf-grenoble.fr
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taberlet
authors.forename: Niklaus E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Zimmermann
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Englisch
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tribsch
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Holderegger
authors.forename: Nadir
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Harald
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Niklfeld
authors.forename: Gheorghe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Coldea
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mirek
authors.forename: Atte
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ahlmer
authors.forename: Paolo Ajmone
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Marsan
authors.forename: Enzo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bona
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bovio
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Choler
authors.forename: Elżbieta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cieślak
authors.forename: Licia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Colli
authors.forename: Vasile
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cristea
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dalmas
authors.forename: Božo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Frajman
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garraud
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaudeul
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gielly
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gutermann
authors.forename: Nejc
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Jogan
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Kagalo
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korbecka
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Küpfer
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lequette
authors.forename: Dominik Roman
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Letz
authors.forename: Stéphanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manel
authors.forename: Guilhem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mansion
authors.forename: Karol
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Marhold
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Riccardo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Negrini
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Niño
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Paun
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pellecchia
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perico
authors.forename: Halina
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Piękoś-Mirkowa
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Prosser
authors.forename: Mihai
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puşcaş
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ronikier
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Scheuerer
authors.forename: Gerald M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Schneeweiss
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schönswetter
authors.forename: Luise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schratt-Ehrendorfer
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Schüpfer
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steinmann
authors.forename: Conny
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thiel-Egenter
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Loo
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Winkler
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wohlgemuth
authors.forename: Tone
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wraber
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gugerli
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vellend
mesh_terms: D044822:Biodiversity; D017753:Ecosystem; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics*