Several lines of evidence suggest that the species diversity and composition of communities should depend on genetic diversity within component species, but there has been very little effort to directly assess this possibility. Here I use models of competition among genotypes and species to demonstrate a strong positive effect of the number of genotypes per species on species diversity across a...

Reserves are often designed to protect rare habitats, or ‘‘typical’’ exemplars of ecoregions and geomorphic provinces. This approach focuses on current patterns of organismal and ecosystem-level biodiversity, but typically ignores the evolutionary processes that control the gain and loss of biodiversity at these and other levels (e.g., genetic, ecological). In order to include evolutionary proc...

Cedrela lilloi C. DC. (cedro coya, Meliaceae), an important south American timber species, has been historically overexploited through selective logging in Argentine Yungas Rainforest. Management and conservation programs of the species require knowledge of its genetic variation patterns; however, no information is available. Molecular genetic variability of the species was characterized to ide...

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) and napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) are the most economically important species in the genus Pennisetum. Knowledge of genetic diversity of these two species would enhance their potentials for utilization. The present work assessed the genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationship among Nigerian and Indian accessions of pearl millet an...

Species diversity and genetic diversity, the most basic elements of biodiversity, have long been treated as separate topics, although populations evolve within a community context. Recent studies on community genetics and ecology have suggested that genetic diversity is not completely independent of species diversity. The Mexican Picea chihuahuana Martínez is an endemic species listed as "Endan...

Brassica species represent a broad range of crops. This reflects the high degree of genetic diversity and related phenotypic plasticity. An understanding of the genetic basis of Brassica diversity aids both breeding and the discovery of rare alleles and traits. Single Sequence Repeat (SSR) molecular markers are popular tools for assessing genetic diversity due to their high degree of polymorphi...

Delimitating species boundaries could be of critical importance when evaluating the species' evolving process and providing guidelines for conservation genetics. Here, species delimitation was carried out on three endemic and endangered Cycas species with resembling morphology and overlapped distribution range along the Red River (Yuanjiang) in China: Cycas diananensis Z. T. Guan et G. D. Tao, ...

The ecological consequences of biodiversity have become a prominent public issue. Little is known on the effect of genetic diversity on ecosystem services. Here, a diversity experiment was established with European and North American aspen (Populus tremula, P. tremuloides) planted in plots representing either a single deme only or combinations of two, four and eight demes. The goals of this stu...