Genome-wide methylome stability and parental effects in the worldwide distributed Lombardy poplar.

Background: Despite the increasing number of epigenomic studies in plants, little is known about the forces that shape the methylome in long-lived woody perennials. The Lombardy poplar offers an ideal opportunity to investigate the impact of the individual environmental history of trees on the methylome.

Results: We present the results of three interconnected experiments on Lombardy poplar.

Occasional long-distance dispersal may not prevent inbreeding in a threatened butterfly.

Background: To set up successful conservation measures, detailed knowledge on the dispersal and colonization capacities of the focal species and connectivity between populations is of high relevance. We developed species-specific nuclear microsatellite molecular markers for the grayling (Hipparchia semele), a butterfly endemic to Europe and of growing conservation concern in North-West Europe, and report on its population genetics, in a fragmented, anthropogenic landscape in Belgium. Our study included samples from 23 different locations nested in two regions and additional historical samples from two locations.

Reintroduced Native in Restored Floodplain Reduces Spread of Exotic Poplar Species.

Exotic taxa pose a threat to the success of riparian forest restoration in floodplain areas. We evaluated the impact of exotic taxa on softwood riparian forest development along the river Common Meuse after introducing native and after the re-establishment of the natural river dynamics. We sampled 154 poplar seedlings that spontaneously colonized restored habitat and assessed their taxonomy based on diagnostic chloroplast and nuclear microsatellite markers.

Genetic structure of recently fragmented suburban populations of European stag beetle.

Habitat loss and fragmentation due to urbanization can negatively affect metapopulation persistence when gene flow among populations is reduced and population sizes decrease. Inference of patterns and processes of population connectivity derived from spatial genetic analysis has proven invaluable for conservation and management. However, a more complete account of population dynamics may be obtained by combining spatial and temporal sampling.

Transgenerational effects in asexually reproduced offspring of Populus.

The response of trees to a changing climate can be affected by transgenerational phenotypic plasticity, i.e. phenotypic variation that is conserved and transferred to the offspring.

Variability in DNA Methylation and Generational Plasticity in the Lombardy Poplar, a Single Genotype Worldwide Distributed Since the Eighteenth Century.

In the absence of genetic diversity, plants rely on the capacity of phenotypic plasticity to cope with shifts in environmental conditions. Understanding the mechanisms behind phenotypic plasticity and how local phenotypic adjustments are transferred to clonal offspring, will provide insight into its ecological and evolutionary significance. Epigenetic changes have recently been proposed to play a crucial role in rapid environmental adaptation.

High levels of effective long-distance dispersal may blur ecotypic divergence in a rare terrestrial orchid.

Background: Gene flow and adaptive divergence are key aspects of metapopulation dynamics and ecological speciation. Long-distance dispersal is hard to detect and few studies estimate dispersal in combination with adaptive divergence. The aim of this study was to investigate effective long-distance dispersal and adaptive divergence in the fen orchid (Liparis loeselii (L.

The contribution of mating system variation to reproductive isolation in two closely related Centaurium species (Gentianaceae) with a generalized flower morphology.

In closely related plant species that display strong similarities in phenology and pollinator communities, differences in breeding system and associated shifts in floral traits may have important effects on the magnitude and direction of heterospecific pollen flow and hybridization. Here, we quantified the strength of several pre- and postzygotic barriers acting between the facultatively outcrossing Centaurium erythraea and the predominantly selfing C. littorale via a suite of experiments, and estimated the frequency of hybridization in the field using molecular markers.

Genetic structure and seed-mediated dispersal rates of an endangered shrub in a fragmented landscape: a case study for Juniperus communis in northwestern Europe.

Background: Population extinction risk in a fragmented landscape is related to the differential ability of the species to spread its genes across the landscape. The impact of landscape fragmentation on plant population dynamics will therefore vary across different spatial scales. We quantified successful seed-mediated dispersal of the dioecious shrub Juniperus communis in a fragmented landscape across northwestern Europe by using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers.