Long-term isolation of European steppe outposts boosts the biome's conservation value.
Nat Commun
; 11(1): 1968, 2020 04 23.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32327640
The European steppes and their biota have been hypothesized to be either young remnants of the Pleistocene steppe belt or, alternatively, to represent relicts of long-term persisting populations; both scenarios directly bear on nature conservation priorities. Here, we evaluate the conservation value of threatened disjunct steppic grassland habitats in Europe in the context of the Eurasian steppe biome. We use genomic data and ecological niche modelling to assess pre-defined, biome-specific criteria for three plant and three arthropod species. We show that the evolutionary history of Eurasian steppe biota is strikingly congruent across species. The biota of European steppe outposts were long-term isolated from the Asian steppes, and European steppes emerged as disproportionally conservation relevant, harbouring regionally endemic genetic lineages, large genetic diversity, and a mosaic of stable refugia. We emphasize that conserving what is left of Europe's steppes is crucial for conserving the biological diversity of the entire Eurasian steppe biome.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Conservation of Natural Resources
/
Grassland
/
Genetic Speciation
Type of study:
Prognostic_studies
Limits:
Animals
Country/Region as subject:
Europa
Language:
En
Journal:
Nat Commun
Journal subject:
BIOLOGIA
/
CIENCIA
Year:
2020
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Country of publication: