Long-term isolation of European steppe outposts boosts the biome's conservation value.
Nat Commun
; 11(1): 1968, 2020 04 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32327640
ABSTRACT
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.
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Conservación de los Recursos Naturales
/
Pradera
/
Especiación Genética
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
País como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article