Data from: Short-term genetic consequences of habitat loss and fragmentation for the neotropical palm Oenocarpus bataua

Habitat loss and fragmentation may impact animal-mediated dispersal of seed and pollen, and a key question is how the genetic attributes of plant populations respond to these changes. Theory predicts that genetic diversity may be less sensitive to such disruptions in the short term, whereas inbreeding and genetic structure may respond more strongly. However, results from studies to date vary in relation to species, context and the parameter being assessed, triggering calls for more empirical studies, especially from the tropics, where plant–animal dispersal mutualisms are both disproportionately common and at risk. We compared the genetic characteristics of adults and recruits in a long-lived palm Oenocarpus bataua in a recently fragmented landscape (<2 generations) in northwest Ecuador using a suite of 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers. We sampled individuals from six forest fragments and one nearby continuous forest. Our goal was to assess short-term consequences of fragmentation, with a focus on how well empirical data from this system follow theoretical expectations. Mostly congruent with predictions, we found stronger genetic differentiation and fine-scale spatial genetic structure among recruits in fragments compared with recruits in continuous forest, but we did not record differences in genetic diversity or inbreeding, nor did we record any differences between adults in fragments and adults in continuous forest. Our findings suggest that genetic characteristics of populations vary in their sensitivity to change in response to habitat loss and fragmentation, and that fine-scale spatial genetic structure may be a particularly useful indicator of genetic change in recently fragmented landscapes.

生境丧失与片段化可能会干扰动物介导的种子与花粉传播，核心科学问题在于植物种群的遗传特征如何响应这类环境变化。理论预测，短期尺度下遗传多样性对这类干扰的敏感性相对较低，而近交与遗传结构的响应则更为显著。然而，现有研究的结果因物种、研究背景及评估参数的不同而存在差异，这促使学界呼吁开展更多实证研究，尤其是在热带区域——该区域的动植物传播互利关系不仅占比极高，且面临严重的生存风险。
本研究以厄瓜多尔西北部一处近期发生片段化（距今不足2个世代）的景观中的长寿命棕榈巴塔瓦棕榈（Oenocarpus bataua）为研究对象，利用10个多态性微卫星标记（microsatellite markers），对比了其成年个体与更新个体的遗传特征。研究共采集了6处森林片段与1片邻近连续森林中的植株样本，旨在评估片段化的短期效应，并重点验证该研究系统的实证数据是否符合理论预期。
研究结果大体与理论预测相符：与连续森林中的更新个体相比，片段化景观内的更新个体呈现出更强的遗传分化与精细尺度空间遗传结构；但研究未检测到遗传多样性或近交水平的显著差异，也未发现片段化与连续森林中成年个体的遗传特征存在区别。
本研究结果表明，植物种群的不同遗传特征对生境丧失与片段化的响应敏感性存在差异，而精细尺度空间遗传结构或可成为评估近期片段化景观中遗传变化的敏感指标。