Format: ORAL

Paul A Ashton

Dept of Biology, Edge Hill University

The UK is a densely populated, industrialised and intensively farmed country. Areas of high plant biodiversity are largely restricted to nature reserves. A UK government report in 2010 called for more reserves, which were larger and linked. Interconnected sites will allow movement of advantageous genes between populations permitting adaptation to new selective pressures brought about by climate change. The aspiration of connectedness has informed UK conservation practice within the NGO sector. However, beyond a few bird species, there is little understanding of how much gene flow occurs in the UK landscape. This study fills some of this knowledge gap by assessing the extent of gene flow between plant populations growing on river margins. Such riparian systems have long been viewed as significant corridors for plant and animal movement. Taking three different species (Carex aquatilis, Carex tomentosa and Geranium pratense) across various different geographically separate river systems the work identifies patterns of variation within and between such systems. Within a river system an assessment of the strength of Ritlands Unidirectional Flow Hypothesis can be made, while between river systems that share a common source gene flow either side of the watershed can be assessed. Finally, populations growing on completely separated river systems can be utilised to understand gene flow at the national scale. Taken together these results provide a picture of gene flow within riparian systems which will inform conservation understanding and action.