Combining genetic, ecological and environmental studies in plant conservation
As our appreciation of the phylogeny and biogeography of the Australian flora improves, we are becoming increasingly aware that generalisations about evolutionary dynamics can be untenable without the consideration of appropriate ecological and environmental aspects. There are numerous benefits in merging ecological and genetic approaches to interpret species distribution and population structure, as we can unravel discrete genetic signatures left on modern-day populations by historical processes in the light of selective forces operating on habitat preference and / or the influence of life-history traits (such as those related to dispersal and local persistence for example). The Australian rainforest flora is particularly suitable to such studies, as it exhibits high levels of taxonomic diversity and endemism resulting from long-term phylogenetic conservativism as well as recent diversification, and its distribution range has been affected by complex selective pressures (mostly related to drastic environmental change). Combined genetic and ecological studies are showing that a consequence of such intricate evolutionary dynamics is that slight differentiation in fruit morphology or resprouting potential can explain significant distinctions in geographic distribution, genetic structure, long-term persistence and population viability even across closely related taxa. Identifying and differentiating between evolutionary dynamic patterns and understanding how they influence species distribution and survival, will help us better quantify and manage existing biodiversity as well as model its vulnerability to future environmental change.