title: Landscape-scale deforestation decreases gene flow distance of a keystone tropical palm,Euterpe edulisMart (Arecaceae).
abstract: Habitat loss represents one of the main threats to tropical forests, which have reached extremely high rates of species extinction. Forest loss negatively impacts biodiversity, affecting ecological (e.g., seed dispersal) and genetic (e.g., genetic diversity and structure) processes. Therefore, understanding how deforestation influences genetic resources is strategic for conservation. Our aim was to empirically evaluate the effects of landscape-scale forest reduction on the spatial genetic structure and gene flow ofEuterpe edulisMart (Arecaceae), a palm tree considered a keystone resource for many vertebrate species. This study was carried out in nine forest remnants in the Atlantic Forest, northeastern Brazil, located in landscapes within a gradient of forest cover (19-83%). We collected leaves of 246 adults and 271 seedlings and performed genotyping using microsatellite markers. Our results showed that the palm populations had low spatial genetic structure, indicating that forest reduction did not influence this genetic parameter for neither seedlings nor adults. However, forest loss decreased the gene flow distance, which may negatively affect the genetic diversity of future generations by increasing the risk of local extinction of this keystone palm. For efficient strategies of genetic variability conservation and maintenance of gene flow inE. edulis, we recommend the maintenance of landscapes with intermediary to high levels of forest cover, that is, forest cover above 40%.
authors: Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16 Ilhéus CEP 45662-900 Brazil.
authors: Alesandro S
authors: AS
authors: Santos
authors: Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16 Ilhéus CEP 45662-900 Brazil.
authors: Eliana
authors: E
authors: Cazetta
authors: Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16 Ilhéus CEP 45662-900 Brazil.
authors: Pavel
authors: P
authors: Dodonov
authors: Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16 Ilhéus CEP 45662-900 Brazil.
authors: Deborah
authors: D
authors: Faria
authors: Laboratório de Marcadores Moleculares Centro de Biotecnologia e Genética Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz Rodovia Ilhéus-Itabuna, km 16 Ilhéus CEP 45662-900 Brazil.
authors: Fernanda A
authors: FA
authors: Gaiotto
keywords: Conservation; functional connectivity; landscape genetics; tropical forest