Fine-scale spatial patterns of the Tertiary relict Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) indicate possible processes contributing to its persistence to climate changes

Bosque, Marta; Adamogianni, Maria Irene; Bariotakis, Michael; Fazan, Laurence; Stoffel, Markus; Garfi, Giuseppe; Gratzfeld, Joachim; Kozlowski, Gregor; Pirintsos, Stergios

doi:10.1007/s10113-013-0544-1

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Fine-scale spatial patterns of the Tertiary relict Zelkova abelicea (Ulmaceae) indicate possible processes contributing to its persistence to climate changes

Bosque, Marta Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Adamogianni, Maria Irene Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Bariotakis, Michael Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Fazan, Laurence Department of Biology and Botanic Garden, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Carouge, Switzerland
Stoffel, Markus Climatic Change and Climate Impacts, Institute for Environmental Sciences, University of Geneva, Carouge, Switzerland - Dendrolab.ch, Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
Garfi, Giuseppe Institute of Plant Genetics, National Research Council CNR , Palermo, Italy
Gratzfeld, Joachim Botanic Gardens Conservation International BGCI, Kew , Richmond, Surrey, UK
Kozlowski, Gregor Department of Biology and Botanic Garden, University of Fribourg, Switzerland - Natural History Museum, Fribourg, Switzerland
Pirintsos, Stergios Department of Biology, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece - Botanical Garden, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece

01.04.2014

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Regional Environmental Change. - 2014, vol. 14, no. 2, p. 835–849

English In this paper, the fine-scale spatial patterns of the Tertiary relict Zelkova abelicea (Lam.) Boiss. were studied (1) to reveal processes that contributed to its persistence to climate changes and (2) to assist future conservation planning, with the purpose of shifting the attention of conservation practitioners from patterns to processes. Results of the fine-scale spatial patterns of Z. abelicea indicate that the species tolerates disturbance and/or tracks changes resulting from disturbance in the range of its distribution through morphological and reproductive plasticity. In addition, our study indicates that Z. abelicea populations are conserved in the absence of metapopulation structure and that the species participates in plant–plant interactions through facilitation processes. Hence, the persistence of the species to climate changes seems to be more complicated and multifactorial than a linear and plain view of species survival in climate refugial areas, and therefore calls for a consideration of the processes revealed in this paper in future conservation planning.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Biologie

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