Assessment of the Diversity, Distinctiveness and Conservation of Australia’s Central Queensland Coastal Rainforests Using DNA Barcoding

Marion Howard; Hilary Pearl; William J F McDonald; Yoko Shimizu; Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava; Alison Shapcott

doi:10.3390/d15030378

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Assessment of the Diversity, Distinctiveness and Conservation of Australia’s Central Queensland Coastal Rainforests Using DNA Barcoding

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Assessment of the Diversity, Distinctiveness and Conservation of Australia’s Central Queensland Coastal Rainforests Using DNA Barcoding

Marion Howard, Hilary Pearl, William J F McDonald, Yoko Shimizu, Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava and Alison Shapcott

Diversity, Vol.15(3), pp.1-32

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/d15030378

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Abstract

dry rainforest

phylogenetic diversity (PD)

DNA barcode

subregion

refugia

corridors

protected area

Globally threatened dry rainforests are poorly studied and conserved when compared to mesic rainforests. Investigations of dry rainforest communities within Australia are no exception. We assessed the community diversity, distinctiveness and level of conservation in Central Queensland coastal dry rainforest communities. Our three-marker DNA barcode-based phylogeny, based on rainforest species from the Central Queensland Coast, was combined with the phylogeny from Southeast Queensland. The phylogenetic tree and Central Queensland Coast (CQC) community species lists were used to evaluate phylogenetic diversity (PD) estimates and species composition to pinpoint regions of significant rainforest biodiversity. We evaluated the patterns and relationships between rainforest communities of the biogeographical areas of Central Queensland Coast and Southeast Queensland, and within and between Subregions. Subsequently, we identified areas of the highest distinctiveness and diversity in phylogenetically even rainforest communities, consistent with refugia, and areas significantly more related than random, consistent with expansion into disturbed or harsher areas. We found clear patterns of phylogenetic clustering that suggest that selection pressures for moisture and geology were strong drivers of rainforest distribution and species diversity. These results showed that smaller dry rainforests in Central Queensland Coast (CQC) represented areas of regional plant migration but were inadequately protected. To sustain species diversity and distribution under intense selection pressures of moisture availability and substrate type throughout this dry and geologically complex region, the future conservation of smaller patches is essential.

Details

Title: Assessment of the Diversity, Distinctiveness and Conservation of Australia’s Central Queensland Coastal Rainforests Using DNA Barcoding
Authors: Marion Howard (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Hilary Pearl (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
William J F McDonald (Author) - Queensland Herbarium
Yoko Shimizu (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Sanjeev Kumar Srivastava (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Alison Shapcott (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Publication details: Diversity, Vol.15(3), pp.1-32
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.3390/d15030378
ISSN: 1424-2818
Copyright note: © 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Organisation Unit: School of Science and Engineering - Legacy; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation; Sustainability Research Cluster
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99708798702621
Output Type: Journal article