Which life history strategy can maintain high genetic diversity in plants?

Abstract

Classifying a variety of plant life histories is an important step to understand ecological and evolutionary background of life history diversification in plants. Principal component analysis (PCA) of life history traits, as well as elasticity analysis using a ternary diagram, successfully categorized the diverse life histories and clarified their link to various ecological characteristics, such as population dynamics, functional traits, and conservation status. However, the relationships with population genetic properties, including genetic diversity, have not been explored very much. In this study, we overlaid annual change rate of expected heterozygosity{eta} on life history spectrum obtained by PCA and elasticity analysis to examine which life history strategy can maintain high genetic diversity over time. We found that{eta} gradually changed along the fast-slow continuum and that slow-paced life histories maintained high genetic diversity, probably due to generation overlap. Elasticity analysis showed that life histories that highly depend on stasis also maintained genetic diversity. As genetic diversity reflects adaptive potential to environmental changes, our study provides a new genetic perspective on adaptative evolution and population viability to life history study.