AFLP fingerprinting of Anchusa (Boraginaceae) in the Corso-Sardinian system: Genetic diversity, population differentiation and conservation priorities in an insular endemic group threatened with extinction

Results indicate the separation between a mountain genic pool including Anchusa formosa, Anchusa capellii and Anchusa montelinasana, and four groups of coastal accessions. In spite of small size, mountain taxa show low interpopulation differentiation (Fst = 0.02) and relatively high intrapopulation genetic variation (0.365), while coastal accessions showed on average a stronger differentiation (mean Fst = 0.20) and a lower diversity (0.281), possibly due to higher rates of inbreeding. The particularly low levels of variation found in A. sardoa, A. littorea and A. crispa ssp. maritima from the Coghinas bay are likely due to a historical decrease of populations and to bottleneck events caused by loss of habitat and natural stochastic factors on sand dune ecosystems. While habitat maintenance and regulation of grazing by domestic herbivores should be sufficient to ensure the persistence of the mountain endemics, additional actions of in situ and ex situ conservation are needed for the critically endangered coastal species A. sardoa and A. littorea. A. crispa showed a relatively high variation, especially on Corsica. No correlation between population size and genetic variation was found in the latter species, highlighting the importance of the small patches for its conservation. Also, the genetic separation between subspecies crispa and maritima stresses the need of keeping them distinct in redlists and conservation actions on Sardinia.