Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Mediterranean Forests
Summary
Mediterranean forests are biodiversity hotspots, hosting a wealth of endemic tree and shrub species adapted to seasonal drought, fire regimes and complex topography. Genetic diversity within these communities reflects a legacy of Pleistocene refugia, postglacial recolonisation and long‐term environmental heterogeneity. Researchers employ nuclear and organellar markers—such as microsatellites and single‐nucleotide polymorphisms—to quantify allelic richness, heterozygosity and genetic differentiation. Analyses of population structure often reveal isolation by distance and strong differentiation across mountain ranges and maritime barriers, highlighting limited gene flow. Climatic oscillations, habitat fragmentation and recent anthropogenic pressures have contributed to bottlenecks, genetic drift and local adaptation. Emerging landscape‐genetic approaches detect genotype–environment associations that underpin adaptive variation linked to drought tolerance and fire resilience. Regional patterns, such as eastward increases in genetic diversity, are attributed to Holocene expansion routes and uneven refugial contractions. Integrating genetic insights into conservation and restoration planning allows for the delineation of management units, the design of provenance zones and the selection of locally adapted seed sources. Such strategies are essential to maintain adaptive potential, bolster forest resilience under climate change and safeguard the genetic reservoirs critical for ecosystem services in Mediterranean landscapes.
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Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Mediterranean Forests publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in genetic diversity and population structure in mediterranean forests across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Genetic diversity: variation in alleles within and among populations.
Population structure: the distribution of genetic variation shaped by gene flow, drift and selection.
Single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): a single base‐pair variation in DNA sequence among individuals.
Microsatellite marker: a short tandem repeat of DNA bases used to assess genetic variation.
Heterozygosity: the proportion of individuals carrying two different alleles at a locus.
Fixation index (FST): a measure of genetic differentiation among populations.
Genotype–environment association: statistical links between allele frequencies and environmental variables indicating adaptive variation.
References
- Warming appears as the main risk of non-adaptedness for western Mediterranean relict fir forests under expected climate change scenarios. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).
- Climate and Soil Microsite Conditions Determine Local Adaptation in Declining Silver Fir Forests. Plants (2023).
- Large‐scale longitudinal gradients of genetic diversity: a meta‐analysis across six phyla in the Mediterranean basin. Ecology and Evolution (2012).
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