Exploring the role of genetic diversity and relatedness in tree seedling growth and mortality: A multispecies study in a Bornean rainforest

作者：Claire Tito de Morais, Chris J. Kettle, Christopher D. Philipson, Colin R. Maycock, David F. R. P. Burslem, Eyen Khoo, Jaboury Ghazoul · 发表于：Journal of Ecology · 年份：2019 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2745.13331 · 被引用次数：19 · 研究领域：Genetic diversity and population structure、Plant and animal studies、Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies

Abstract Where conspecific seedlings occur at high densities, density‐dependent processes tend to depress their performance and survival relative to co‐occurring heterospecifics. We extend this observation to within‐species genetic diversity and relatedness. We posit that seedling growth and survival increase where there is higher genetic diversity, and lower relatedness, among seedling populations, under the expectation that increased genetic dissimilarity among conspecific seedlings affords greater resistance to pathogens. We used estimates of individual seedling genetic diversity (multilocus heterozygosity (sMLH)) and genetic relatedness among conspecific seedlings (pairwise kinship coefficients (LRI)), under high and low conspecific seedling density, coupled with censuses of seedling growth and mortality over 30 months to explore the role of genetic diversity and relatedness on growth and mortality of 1,485 seedlings of four dipterocarp species in an undisturbed Bornean tropical rainforest. We hypothesized that more genetically diverse and less related co‐occurring seedlings would display higher survival and growth rates. In three of our four species, lower genetic diversity increased the probability of mortality over 30 months. We observed no effect of genetic diversity on relative growth rates. Contrary to our expectations, only one species showed a negative effect of increased relatedness on mortality. In two of the four species studied, seedlings that were more geneti...