General Introduction and Methodological Overview. Serra Varela, M. J. In Gonzalo Jiménez, J. & Grivet, D., editors, Ph.D. Thesis: Integrating Infra-Specific Variation of Mediterranean Conifers in Species Distribution Models - Applications for Vulnerability Assessment and Conservation, pages 19–54. Universidad de Valladolid. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieŕıas Agrarias, 2017.
abstract   bibtex   
[Excerpt] [:Forests ecosystems, climate change and conservation] [...] Despite their importance, we have lost approximately 1.3 % of the total forest area during the last decade, and although deforestation rates are decreasing, they are still high (data for the period 2000-2010 [...]). Nevertheless, fortunately, in some regions, such as Europe, we find an inverse trend with an increasing forest cover [...]. In Europe, 33 % of the total land area (215 million ha) are covered by forests from which more than half are coniferous, the rest being broadleaved and mixed [...]. Among these, Mediterranean forests located in the Mediterranean Basin, stand out due to their considerably high plant diversity as a result of a noteworthy variety of habitats - e.g. 290 wooden species vs only 135 for non-Mediterranean Europe -, and of the many historical and paleo-geographic episodes in the area, especially during the last glaciation period. Mediterranean forests are dominated by evergreen species - although deciduous species are also represented - and in particular Mediterranean conifers are characterized by higher within-species diversity than other conifers [...]. Accordingly, the Mediterranean Basin, which shelters the vast majority of Mediterranean forests in the world, has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot [...]. [] Anthropogenic climate change, majorly characterized by global warming [...], is becoming a major threat for natural forests [...] and biodiversity. In the face of climate change, species can migrate, adapt, or become extinct [...] and, in such context, forest ecosystems are especially vulnerable, due to their sessile nature that constrains migration and to their long life-span which does not allow for rapid adaptation to environmental changes [...]. In the leading edge of the distribution, migration constitutes the most important process, as trees become main sources of propagules for new available habitats. In contrast, in the trailing edge, adaptive responses of trees are particularly important [...], as it is where species truly face the need to persist in current sites while the environmental conditions are changing [...]. The extent to which populations will adapt, depends on genetic diversity, phenotypic variation (i.e. the ability of an individual to change its phenotype responding to environment), strength of selection, fecundity, interspecific competition and biotic interactions [...]. Although phenotypic plasticity plays a major role for survival in the short term, evolutionary adaptation becomes crucial in long periods [...]. Mediterranean regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change [...], due to their position at the rear edge of the distribution of species [...], and to the predicted increased frequency of extreme events such as droughts and fires [...]. This threat is particularly relevant not only because of their ecological importance, but also because these forests play an essential role for the society [...] - as such, the Mediterranean Basin is considered as an important priority for conservation. Nevertheless, despite their threatened situation, Mediterranean forests remain underrepresented in the current European conservation network [...] and in currently available conservation literature [...]. [] Conservation of biodiversity at broad scales is challenging and requires international collaboration to standardize concepts and procedures. Initially, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) gathered experts on biological diversity in 1988, resulting in the development of the convention on biological diversity text [...]. This document highlights that conserving biodiversity requires maintaining diversity within species, between species, and between ecosystems. Thus, the CBD extended the goal of conservation from preserving species and their habitats to maintaining their capacity to evolve and adapt to new environmental conditions. In fact, the CBD explicitly highlights the importance of maintaining infra-specific differentiation, and particularly genetic variation as the basis of species divergence when aiming to conserve biodiversity. [] Infra-specific differences within forest populations appear due to different processes. Plants rely on pollen and seeds to disperse, but their dispersal abilities are often limited. Thus, when a new factor, such as an environmental or topographic change, appears it may lead to population fragmentation, and consequently to the interruption of gene flow. Within this context, populations evolve independently through neutral and/or adaptive genetic processes resulting in different genetic lineages or clades, an effect that is increased by genetic drift in small populations. If this process continues through time it can ultimately lead to speciation [...]. [] These genetically differentiated clades, which may show (or not) morphological differences, are likely to diverge in their evolutionary potential and adaptive capacity in which genetic diversity plays a major role [...]. Higher genetic variation implies higher evolutionary potential [...] as selection acts on it, promoting best adapted genotypes and eradicating deleterious ones, ultimately leading to local adaptation. Thus, maintaining or increasing genetic diversity is a major challenge for scientists and managers in the current climatic change context leading to the development of conservation genetics. [...]
@incollection{serravarelaGeneralIntroductionMethodological2017,
  title = {General Introduction and Methodological Overview},
  booktitle = {Ph.{{D}}. {{Thesis}}: {{Integrating}} Infra-Specific Variation of {{Mediterranean}} Conifers in Species Distribution Models - {{Applications}} for Vulnerability Assessment and Conservation},
  author = {Serra Varela, Ma{\'r}{\i}a J.},
  editor = {Gonzalo Jim{\'e}nez, Juli{\'a}n and Grivet, Delphine},
  year = {2017},
  pages = {19--54},
  publisher = {{Universidad de Valladolid. Escuela T\'ecnica Superior de Ingenie\'r\i as Agrarias}},
  abstract = {[Excerpt] [:Forests ecosystems, climate change and conservation] [...] Despite their importance, we have lost approximately 1.3 \% of the total forest area during the last decade, and although deforestation rates are decreasing, they are still high (data for the period 2000-2010 [...]). Nevertheless, fortunately, in some regions, such as Europe, we find an inverse trend with an increasing forest cover [...]. In Europe, 33 \% of the total land area (215 million ha) are covered by forests from which more than half are coniferous, the rest being broadleaved and mixed [...]. Among these, Mediterranean forests located in the Mediterranean Basin, stand out due to their considerably high plant diversity as a result of a noteworthy variety of habitats - e.g. 290 wooden species vs only 135 for non-Mediterranean Europe -, and of the many historical and paleo-geographic episodes in the area, especially during the last glaciation period. Mediterranean forests are dominated by evergreen species - although deciduous species are also represented - and in particular Mediterranean conifers are characterized by higher within-species diversity than other conifers [...]. Accordingly, the Mediterranean Basin, which shelters the vast majority of Mediterranean forests in the world, has been identified as a biodiversity hotspot [...].

[] Anthropogenic climate change, majorly characterized by global warming [...], is becoming a major threat for natural forests [...] and biodiversity. In the face of climate change, species can migrate, adapt, or become extinct [...] and, in such context, forest ecosystems are especially vulnerable, due to their sessile nature that constrains migration and to their long life-span which does not allow for rapid adaptation to environmental changes [...]. In the leading edge of the distribution, migration constitutes the most important process, as trees become main sources of propagules for new available habitats. In contrast, in the trailing edge, adaptive responses of trees are particularly important [...], as it is where species truly face the need to persist in current sites while the environmental conditions are changing [...]. The extent to which populations will adapt, depends on genetic diversity, phenotypic variation (i.e. the ability of an individual to change its phenotype responding to environment), strength of selection, fecundity, interspecific competition and biotic interactions [...]. Although phenotypic plasticity plays a major role for survival in the short term, evolutionary adaptation becomes crucial in long periods [...]. Mediterranean regions are particularly vulnerable to climate change [...], due to their position at the rear edge of the distribution of species [...], and to the predicted increased frequency of extreme events such as droughts and fires [...]. This threat is particularly relevant not only because of their ecological importance, but also because these forests play an essential role for the society [...] - as such, the Mediterranean Basin is considered as an important priority for conservation. Nevertheless, despite their threatened situation, Mediterranean forests remain underrepresented in the current European conservation network [...] and in currently available conservation literature [...].

[] Conservation of biodiversity at broad scales is challenging and requires international collaboration to standardize concepts and procedures. Initially, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) gathered experts on biological diversity in 1988, resulting in the development of the convention on biological diversity text [...]. This document highlights that conserving biodiversity requires maintaining diversity within species, between species, and between ecosystems. Thus, the CBD extended the goal of conservation from preserving species and their habitats to maintaining their capacity to evolve and adapt to new environmental conditions. In fact, the CBD explicitly highlights the importance of maintaining infra-specific differentiation, and particularly genetic variation as the basis of species divergence when aiming to conserve biodiversity.

[] Infra-specific differences within forest populations appear due to different processes. Plants rely on pollen and seeds to disperse, but their dispersal abilities are often limited. Thus, when a new factor, such as an environmental or topographic change, appears it may lead to population fragmentation, and consequently to the interruption of gene flow. Within this context, populations evolve independently through neutral and/or adaptive genetic processes resulting in different genetic lineages or clades, an effect that is increased by genetic drift in small populations. If this process continues through time it can ultimately lead to speciation [...].

[] These genetically differentiated clades, which may show (or not) morphological differences, are likely to diverge in their evolutionary potential and adaptive capacity in which genetic diversity plays a major role [...]. Higher genetic variation implies higher evolutionary potential [...] as selection acts on it, promoting best adapted genotypes and eradicating deleterious ones, ultimately leading to local adaptation. Thus, maintaining or increasing genetic diversity is a major challenge for scientists and managers in the current climatic change context leading to the development of conservation genetics. [...]},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-14439295,adaptation,biodiversity,climate-change,conservation,diversity,ecosystem,forest-resources,genetic-diversity,genetic-variability,hutchinsonian-niche,intraspecific-vs-interspecific,migration-pattern,mitigation,phenotypes-vs-genotypes,realized-niche},
  lccn = {INRMM-MiD:c-14439295}
}
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