Landscape conservation and maternal environment affect genetic diversity and the physiological responses of Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae) progenies to light availability

Abstract The Brazilian Atlantic Forest (AF) is severely deforested and the remaining forest fragments are generally reduced and disconnected. Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae) is a native AF palm rarely found in forest fragments inserted in more deforested landscapes. We investigate how forest fragments inserted in landscapes with different levels of deforestation influence both the genetic diversity and physiological traits of E. edulis progenies. For this, we evaluate the genetic diversity and physiological variables associated with carbon balance at leaf and whole-plant leaf scales of E. edulis progenies to light availability. We collected fruits from six mother plants, being three from a forest fragment inserted in a more forested landscape (83% of forest cover) and three from a forest fragment inserted in a more deforested landscape (55% of forest cover). The seeds were germinated and, after reaching the juvenile stage, 17 microsatellite markers were used to perform a genetic diversity analysis. The progenies were subjected to 18 light treatments (0.72 to 22.1 mol photons m-2 day-1) for the analysis of the carbon balance at leaf and whole-plant scales. We found that the origin of the mother plant proved to affect some genetic parameters, since progenies from mother plants of a forest fragment inserted in the more forested landscape had a greater number of private and effective alleles. In addition, progenies from this forest fragment had a great acclimation capacity to the light levels, with higher growth rates and vigor. Our results provide evidence that conservation actions are necessary for this species, including selecting and replanting progenies from the forest fragments inserted in more forested landscapes. It could be a way for alternative genotypes to raise the levels of alleles and thus avoid the collapse of these populations in fragments inserted in deforested landscapes where a low number of adult and juvenile individuals are found. Data availability statement Data will be available from the Figshare Repository.