Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany

Species diversity and intraspecific genetic diversity play a critical role in conservation and restoration of grassland ecosystems. To maintain regional adaptations of native wild plants, seeds for restoration projects are produced regionally. The delineation of regions is organised by seed transfer...

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Main Authors: Walter Durka, Stefan G. Michalski, Johannes Höfner, Anna Bucharova, Filip Kolář, Christina M. Müller, Christoph Oberprieler, Kristýna Šemberová, Markus Bauer, Matthias Bernt, Walter Bleeker, Stefan Brändel, Solveig Franziska Bucher, Pia Maria Eibes, Michael Ewald, Ronny Goldberg, Kerstin Grant, Sylvia Haider, Alexander Harpke, Friedhelm Haun, Rico Kaufmann, Lotte Korell, Dierk Kunzmann, Daniel Lauterbach, Simon Leib, Nikola Lenzewski, Holger Loritz, Anna-Maria Madaj, Ann Kareen Mainz, Philipp Meinecke, Hanna Mertens, Maren H. Meyer, Martin Musche, Michael Ristow, Christoph Rosche, Christiane Roscher, Daniel Rutte, Annemarie Schacherer, Wolfgang Schmidt, Joraine Schmoldt, Simone Schneider, Jan-Hinnerk Schwarz, Sandra Skowronek, Stephanie A. Socher, Nils Stanik, Alina Twerski, Karin Weiß, Martin Weiß, Alexander Wille, Andreas Zehm, Christian Zidorn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-05-01
Series:Basic and Applied Ecology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179124000872
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author Walter Durka
Stefan G. Michalski
Johannes Höfner
Anna Bucharova
Filip Kolář
Christina M. Müller
Christoph Oberprieler
Kristýna Šemberová
Markus Bauer
Matthias Bernt
Walter Bleeker
Stefan Brändel
Solveig Franziska Bucher
Pia Maria Eibes
Michael Ewald
Ronny Goldberg
Kerstin Grant
Sylvia Haider
Alexander Harpke
Friedhelm Haun
Rico Kaufmann
Lotte Korell
Dierk Kunzmann
Daniel Lauterbach
Simon Leib
Nikola Lenzewski
Holger Loritz
Anna-Maria Madaj
Ann Kareen Mainz
Philipp Meinecke
Hanna Mertens
Maren H. Meyer
Martin Musche
Michael Ristow
Christoph Rosche
Christiane Roscher
Daniel Rutte
Annemarie Schacherer
Wolfgang Schmidt
Joraine Schmoldt
Simone Schneider
Jan-Hinnerk Schwarz
Sandra Skowronek
Stephanie A. Socher
Nils Stanik
Alina Twerski
Karin Weiß
Martin Weiß
Alexander Wille
Andreas Zehm
Christian Zidorn
author_facet Walter Durka
Stefan G. Michalski
Johannes Höfner
Anna Bucharova
Filip Kolář
Christina M. Müller
Christoph Oberprieler
Kristýna Šemberová
Markus Bauer
Matthias Bernt
Walter Bleeker
Stefan Brändel
Solveig Franziska Bucher
Pia Maria Eibes
Michael Ewald
Ronny Goldberg
Kerstin Grant
Sylvia Haider
Alexander Harpke
Friedhelm Haun
Rico Kaufmann
Lotte Korell
Dierk Kunzmann
Daniel Lauterbach
Simon Leib
Nikola Lenzewski
Holger Loritz
Anna-Maria Madaj
Ann Kareen Mainz
Philipp Meinecke
Hanna Mertens
Maren H. Meyer
Martin Musche
Michael Ristow
Christoph Rosche
Christiane Roscher
Daniel Rutte
Annemarie Schacherer
Wolfgang Schmidt
Joraine Schmoldt
Simone Schneider
Jan-Hinnerk Schwarz
Sandra Skowronek
Stephanie A. Socher
Nils Stanik
Alina Twerski
Karin Weiß
Martin Weiß
Alexander Wille
Andreas Zehm
Christian Zidorn
author_sort Walter Durka
collection DOAJ
description Species diversity and intraspecific genetic diversity play a critical role in conservation and restoration of grassland ecosystems. To maintain regional adaptations of native wild plants, seeds for restoration projects are produced regionally. The delineation of regions is organised by seed transfer zones (STZs). Generalised STZs that apply uniformly to many species have been established in several European countries. Ideally, generalised STZs should be based on comprehensive data of intraspecific genetic and phenotypic diversity for a larger number of species. However, such underlying data is missing. The project RegioDiv aims to fill this gap and generate empirical data on genetic variation of multiple grassland plant species across Germany. Here we describe the driving principles and main methods of the project. A total of 33 species were collected at an average density of ∼1 sample/1000 km2 across the 22 existing STZs, and a total of 11,976 samples were genotyped with SNP markers. The analysis of genetic population structure included cluster analysis and analyses of isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-environment. An exemplary within-species analysis for Agrostis capillaris, a widespread grass, revealed five intraspecific genetic clusters, distributed in spatially coherent ranges that did not fully match the STZs. Most of the STZs differed genetically following a pattern of isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-environment. In an across-species analysis, genetic differentiation was affected by mating system and ploidy. Outcrossed and polyploid species were less differentiated than self-compatible and diploid species. However, genetic differentiation did not significantly differ between grasses and herbs, highlighting the variability among species within these groups. The dataset of the RegioDiv project will advance both basic and applied research on genetic variation of grassland plant species. The results will allow the assessment of the current German STZ system and guide potential improvements.
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spelling doaj-art-ee559155fffb414b94ff6a9a2aa13e622025-08-20T02:09:38ZengElsevierBasic and Applied Ecology1439-17912025-05-0184506010.1016/j.baae.2024.11.004Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across GermanyWalter Durka0Stefan G. Michalski1Johannes Höfner2Anna Bucharova3Filip Kolář4Christina M. Müller5Christoph Oberprieler6Kristýna Šemberová7Markus Bauer8Matthias Bernt9Walter Bleeker10Stefan Brändel11Solveig Franziska Bucher12Pia Maria Eibes13Michael Ewald14Ronny Goldberg15Kerstin Grant16Sylvia Haider17Alexander Harpke18Friedhelm Haun19Rico Kaufmann20Lotte Korell21Dierk Kunzmann22Daniel Lauterbach23Simon Leib24Nikola Lenzewski25Holger Loritz26Anna-Maria Madaj27Ann Kareen Mainz28Philipp Meinecke29Hanna Mertens30Maren H. Meyer31Martin Musche32Michael Ristow33Christoph Rosche34Christiane Roscher35Daniel Rutte36Annemarie Schacherer37Wolfgang Schmidt38Joraine Schmoldt39Simone Schneider40Jan-Hinnerk Schwarz41Sandra Skowronek42Stephanie A. Socher43Nils Stanik44Alina Twerski45Karin Weiß46Martin Weiß47Alexander Wille48Andreas Zehm49Christian Zidorn50Department Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Corresponding author.Department Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, GermanyDepartment Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, GermanyDepartment of Biology, Philips-University Marburg, Marburg, GermanyDepartment of Botany, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Praha, CzechiaInstitute of Botany, Systematic Botany Group, Justus-Liebig-University, Gießen, GermanyEvolutionary and Systematic Botany Group, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, GermanyInstitute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Průhonice, CzechiaRestoration Ecology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, GermanyDepartment Computational Biology & Chemistry, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research- UFZ, Leipzig, GermanySaaten Zeller GmbH & Co KG, Eichenbühl, GermanyBotanical Garden, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyInstitute of Ecology and Evolution, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Jena, Germany; Senckenberg Institute for Plant Form and Function (SIP) Jena, Jena, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Physical Geography, Goethe-University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, GermanyInstitute of Geography and Geoecology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, GermanyNationalpark Sächsische Schweiz -SBS, Bad Schandau, GermanyAgricultural Center Baden-Wuerttemberg (LAZBW), Aulendorf, GermanyInstitute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, GermanyDepartment Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, GermanyKulmbach, GermanyBad Wildbad, GermanyDepartment Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, GermanyILöC, Wiefelstede, GermanyBotanical Garden, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, GermanyRieger-Hofmann GmbH, Blaufelden, GermanyApplied Plant Ecology, Institute of Plant Science and Microbiology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, GermanyBürogemeinschaft ABL: Arten - Biotope - Landschaft, Freiburg, GermanyDepartment Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Halle, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, GermanyVerband deutscher Wildsamen- und Wildpflanzenproduzenten e.V., Langgöns, GermanyAusgleichsagentur Schleswig-Holstein GmbH, Molfsee, GermanyAachen, GermanyFachbereich Landwirtschaft, Ökotrophologie und Landschaftsentwicklung, Hochschule Anhalt, Bernburg, Saale, GermanyDepartment of Conservation Biology & Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Halle, GermanyPlant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, GermanyInstitute of Biology/Geobotany, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Saale, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, GermanyDepartment Physiological Diversity, Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, GermanyInstitute of Geosciences, University of Bonn, Bonn, GermanyLangenhagen, GermanyDepartment Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, GermanyGreifswald, GermanyNaturschutzsyndikat SICONA, Olm, LuxemburgGreifswald, GermanyBundesamt für Naturschutz, Bonn, GermanyBotanical Garden, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Salzburg, AustriaDepartment of Landscape and VegetationEcology, University of Kassel, Kassel, GermanyInstitute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Lüneburg, GermanyKirchheim/Ries, GermanyKirchheim/Ries, GermanyUmweltPlan GmbH Stralsund, Greifswald, GermanyBayerisches Staatsministerium für Umwelt und Verbraucherschutz (StMUV), München, GermanyAbteilung für Pharmazeutische Biologie, Universität zu Kiel, Kiel, GermanySpecies diversity and intraspecific genetic diversity play a critical role in conservation and restoration of grassland ecosystems. To maintain regional adaptations of native wild plants, seeds for restoration projects are produced regionally. The delineation of regions is organised by seed transfer zones (STZs). Generalised STZs that apply uniformly to many species have been established in several European countries. Ideally, generalised STZs should be based on comprehensive data of intraspecific genetic and phenotypic diversity for a larger number of species. However, such underlying data is missing. The project RegioDiv aims to fill this gap and generate empirical data on genetic variation of multiple grassland plant species across Germany. Here we describe the driving principles and main methods of the project. A total of 33 species were collected at an average density of ∼1 sample/1000 km2 across the 22 existing STZs, and a total of 11,976 samples were genotyped with SNP markers. The analysis of genetic population structure included cluster analysis and analyses of isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-environment. An exemplary within-species analysis for Agrostis capillaris, a widespread grass, revealed five intraspecific genetic clusters, distributed in spatially coherent ranges that did not fully match the STZs. Most of the STZs differed genetically following a pattern of isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-environment. In an across-species analysis, genetic differentiation was affected by mating system and ploidy. Outcrossed and polyploid species were less differentiated than self-compatible and diploid species. However, genetic differentiation did not significantly differ between grasses and herbs, highlighting the variability among species within these groups. The dataset of the RegioDiv project will advance both basic and applied research on genetic variation of grassland plant species. The results will allow the assessment of the current German STZ system and guide potential improvements.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179124000872Genetic differentiationGenetic variationGrassland restorationPopulation genomicsRegioDivSeed transfer zone (STZ)
spellingShingle Walter Durka
Stefan G. Michalski
Johannes Höfner
Anna Bucharova
Filip Kolář
Christina M. Müller
Christoph Oberprieler
Kristýna Šemberová
Markus Bauer
Matthias Bernt
Walter Bleeker
Stefan Brändel
Solveig Franziska Bucher
Pia Maria Eibes
Michael Ewald
Ronny Goldberg
Kerstin Grant
Sylvia Haider
Alexander Harpke
Friedhelm Haun
Rico Kaufmann
Lotte Korell
Dierk Kunzmann
Daniel Lauterbach
Simon Leib
Nikola Lenzewski
Holger Loritz
Anna-Maria Madaj
Ann Kareen Mainz
Philipp Meinecke
Hanna Mertens
Maren H. Meyer
Martin Musche
Michael Ristow
Christoph Rosche
Christiane Roscher
Daniel Rutte
Annemarie Schacherer
Wolfgang Schmidt
Joraine Schmoldt
Simone Schneider
Jan-Hinnerk Schwarz
Sandra Skowronek
Stephanie A. Socher
Nils Stanik
Alina Twerski
Karin Weiß
Martin Weiß
Alexander Wille
Andreas Zehm
Christian Zidorn
Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
Basic and Applied Ecology
Genetic differentiation
Genetic variation
Grassland restoration
Population genomics
RegioDiv
Seed transfer zone (STZ)
title Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
title_full Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
title_fullStr Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
title_short Assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across Germany
title_sort assessment of genetic diversity among seed transfer zones for multiple grassland plant species across germany
topic Genetic differentiation
Genetic variation
Grassland restoration
Population genomics
RegioDiv
Seed transfer zone (STZ)
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179124000872
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