As human‐induced change eliminates natural habitats, it impacts genetic diversity and population connectivity for local biodiversity. The South African Cape Floristic Region (CFR) is the most diverse extratropical area for plant biodiversity, and much of its habitat is protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There has long been great interest in explaining the underlying factors driving this unique diversity, especially as much of the CFR is endangered by urbanization and other anthropogenic activity. Here, we use a population and landscape genetic analysis of SNP data from the CFR endemic plant Leucadendron salignum or “common sunshine conebush” as a model to address the evolutionary and environmental factors shaping the vast CFR diversity. We found that high population structure, along with relatively deeper and older genealogies, is characteristic of the southwestern CFR, whereas low population structure and more recent lineage coalescence depict the eastern CFR. Population network analyses show genetic connectivity is facilitated in areas of lower elevation and higher seasonal precipitation. These population genetic signatures corroborate CFR species‐level patterns consistent with high Pleistocene biome stability and landscape heterogeneity in the southwest, but with coincident instability in the east. Finally, we also find evidence of human land‐usage as a significant gene flow barrier, especially in severely threatened lowlands where genetic connectivity has been historically the highest. These results help identify areas where conservation plans can prioritize protecting high genetic diversity threatened by contemporary human activities within this unique cultural UNESCO site.

中文翻译：

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开普植物区生物多样性热点地区的进化稳定性，景观异质性和人类土地利用形状种群的遗传连通性

由于人为改变消除了自然栖息地，因此影响了遗传多样性和当地生物多样性的人口连通性。南非开普植物区（CFR）是植物生物多样性最丰富的温带地区，其大部分栖息地都被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产。长期以来，人们一直非常感兴趣地解释驱动这种独特多样性的潜在因素，特别是由于许多CFR受到城市化和其他人为活动的威胁。在这里，我们使用了来自CFR特有植物丽景天（Leucadendron salignum） SNP数据的种群和景观遗传分析或“普通日光雨伞”作为模型，以解决构成巨大的病死率多样性的进化和环境因素。我们发现，较高的人口结构以及相对较深和较古老的家谱是西南CFR的特征，而较低的人口结构和较新的血统合并则描绘了东部CFR。人口网络分析显示，在海拔较低和季节性降水较高的地区，遗传连通性得到了促进。这些种群的遗传特征证实了CFR物种水平的模式与西南地区较高的更新世生物群系稳定性和景观异质性相一致，但在东部地区则具有偶然的不稳定性。最后，我们还发现了人类土地使用是重要的基因流动障碍的证据，特别是在受到严重威胁的低地，其遗传连通性历来是最高的。这些结果有助于确定保护计划可以优先保护这一独特的教科文组织文化遗址内受现代人类活动威胁的高度遗传多样性的领域。