Context

Evidence for effects of habitat loss and fragmentation on the viability of temperate forest herb populations in agricultural landscapes is so far based on population genetic studies of single species in single landscapes. However, forest herbs differ in their life histories, and landscapes have different environments, structures and histories, making generalizations difficult.

Objectives

We compare the response of three slow-colonizing forest herbs to habitat loss and fragmentation and set this in relation to differences in life-history traits, in particular their mating system and associated pollinators.

Methods

We analysed the herbs’ landscape-scale population genetic structure based on microsatellite markers from replicate forest fragments across seven European agricultural landscapes.

Results

All species responded to reductions in population size with a decrease in allelic richness and an increase in genetic differentiation among populations. Genetic differentiation also increased with enhanced spatial isolation. In addition, each species showed unique responses. Heterozygosity in the self-compatible Oxalis acetosella was reduced in smaller populations. The genetic diversity of Anemone nemorosa, whose main pollinators are less mobile, decreased with increasing spatial isolation, but not that of the bumblebee-pollinated Polygonatum multiflorum.

Conclusions

Our study indicates that habitat loss and fragmentation compromise the long-term viability of slow-colonizing forest herbs despite their ability to persist for many decades by clonal propagation. The distinct responses of the three species studied within the same landscapes confirm the need of multi-species approaches. The mobility of associated pollinators should be considered an important determinant of forest herbs’ sensitivity to habitat loss and fragmentation.

中文翻译：

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三种温带森林草本植物对欧洲景观栖息地破碎化的敏感性

语境

迄今为止，栖息地丧失和破碎化对农业景观中温带森林草本植物种群生存能力的影响的证据是基于单一景观中单一物种的种群遗传研究。然而，森林草本植物的生活史不同，景观有不同的环境、结构和历史，难以一概而论。

目标

我们比较了三种缓慢定植的森林草本植物对栖息地丧失和破碎化的反应，并将其与生活史特征的差异有关，特别是它们的交配系统和相关的传粉媒介。

方法

我们基于来自七个欧洲农业景观的复制森林片段的微卫星标记分析了草药的景观规模种群遗传结构。

结果

所有物种都对种群规模的减少做出反应，等位基因丰富度降低，种群间遗传分化增加。遗传分化也随着空间隔离的增强而增加。此外，每个物种都表现出独特的反应。在较小的种群中，自相容的Oxalis acetosella中的杂合性降低。Anemone nemorosa的主要传粉媒介流动性较差，其遗传多样性随着空间隔离度的增加而减少，但由大黄蜂授粉的何首乌的遗传多样性则没有减少。

结论

我们的研究表明，栖息地丧失和破碎化损害了缓慢定殖的森林草本植物的长期生存能力，尽管它们能够通过克隆繁殖持续存在数十年。在同一景观中研究的三个物种的不同反应证实了多物种方法的必要性。相关传粉媒介的流动性应被视为森林草本植物对栖息地丧失和破碎化敏感性的重要决定因素。