Variation in genetic structure and gene flow across the range of Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia)

Abstract

During this century, climate warming and altered precipitation patterns will lead to habitat changes that may be beneficial to some long-lived tree species and detrimental to others. Paleoendemics, with limited and disjunct distributions will face the greatest challenges, as migration rates will be too slow to keep pace with rapid environmental change and populations at the receding edges are eroded through mal-adaption. Giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum (Lindl.) Buchholz) is an iconic Sierra Nevada tree species with populations that tend to be small and highly fragmented (particularly in the northern range), making them especially vulnerable to environmental change. Maintenance of genetic variation is an important determinant of population persistence that, in part, depends on gene flow within and between populations. The research presented here describes: 1) the distribution of genetic diversity among population pairs distributed across the range of giant sequoia, and 2) the effective rates of gene flow across a highly fragmented habitat.

Parent Publication

• Coast redwood science symposium—2016: Past successes and future direction

Citation

DeSilva, Rainbow; Dodd, Richard S. 2017. Variation in genetic structure and gene flow across the range of Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia). In: Standiford, Richard B.; Valachovic, Yana, tech cords. Coast redwood science symposium—2016: Past successes and future direction. Proceedings of a workshop. Gen. Tech. Rep. PSW-GTR-258. Albany, CA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station: 241-243.