Data from: Evolutionary hotspots in the Mojave Desert

Genetic diversity within species provides the raw material for adaptation and evolution. Just as regions of high species diversity are conservation targets, identifying regions containing high genetic diversity and divergence within and among populations may be important to protect future evolutionary potential. When multiple co-distributed species show spatial overlap in high genetic diversity and divergence, these regions can be considered evolutionary hotspots. We mapped spatial population genetic structure for 17 animal species across the Mojave Desert, USA. We analyzed these in concurrence and located 10 regions of high genetic diversity, divergence or both among species. These were mainly concentrated along the western and southern boundaries where ecotones between mountain, grassland and desert habitat are prevalent, and along the Colorado River. We evaluated the extent to which these hotspots overlapped protected lands and utility-scale renewable energy development projects of the Bureau of Land Management. While 30–40% of the total hotspot area was categorized as protected, between 3–7% overlapped with proposed renewable energy project footprints, and up to 17% overlapped with project footprints combined with transmission corridors. Overlap of evolutionary hotspots with renewable energy development mainly occurred in 6 of the 10 identified hotspots. Resulting GIS-based maps can be incorporated into ongoing landscape planning efforts and highlight specific regions where further investigation of impacts to population persistence and genetic connectivity may be warranted.

物种内的遗传多样性（genetic diversity）为适应与演化提供了核心物质基础。正如物种多样性（species diversity）较高的区域是保护目标一样，识别种群内部及种群间兼具高遗传多样性与遗传分化（genetic divergence）的区域，对于保护未来的进化潜力（evolutionary potential）具有关键意义。若多个同分布物种（co-distributed species）在高遗传多样性与遗传分化的空间分布上存在重叠，则这些区域可被界定为进化热点（evolutionary hotspots）。我们针对美国莫哈韦沙漠（Mojave Desert）的17种动物，绘制了其空间种群遗传结构图谱。我们对这些数据开展同步分析，最终定位出10个在不同物种间兼具高遗传多样性、高遗传分化或二者兼具的区域。这些区域主要集中在山地、草原与荒漠生境交错的生态交错带（ecotones）广泛分布的西部与南部边界，以及科罗拉多河沿岸。我们评估了这些进化热点与受保护土地，以及美国土地管理局（Bureau of Land Management）公用事业级可再生能源（utility-scale renewable energy）开发项目的重叠范围。尽管总热点区域中有30%~40%被划入受保护范围，但仅有3%~7%的区域与拟建可再生能源项目用地范围重叠，若叠加输电走廊（transmission corridors）的用地范围，则重叠比例可达17%。进化热点与可再生能源开发区域的重叠主要集中在已识别的10个热点中的6个。基于地理信息系统（Geographic Information System, GIS）生成的相关图谱可纳入当前的景观规划工作，并凸显出需进一步开展种群存续（population persistence）与遗传连通性（genetic connectivity）影响研究的特定区域。