Format: ORAL

Jairo Patio1, Javier Morente-Lpez1, Agustn Naranjo-Cigala2, Abraham Araa-Padilla1, Guillermo Sicilia-Pasos1,3, Javier Martn-Carbajal1, David P. Padilla1, Yurena Arjona1,3, Manuel Nogales1

1 Island Ecology and Evolution Research Group, Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología, Spanish National Research Council (IPNA-CSIC), La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain 2 Department of Geography, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Gran Canaria, Spain 3 Department of Botany, Ecology and Plant Physiology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

The extinction of unique species and the disappearance of various types of vegetation have been recurring phenomena on oceanic islands since human colonization. However, the extent of both prehistoric and colonial anthropic impact, as well as their consequences, remains a subject of debate in many island systems. In this context, the study of historical demography through genetic information preserved by current populations offers a unique opportunity to understand how humans have transformed island ecosystems. Our study leverages recent advances in massive high-throughput DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) and population genomic analyses to address the case of Juniperus cedrus Webb Berthel. in the oceanic archipelago of the Canary Islands. It has been suggested that the Canarian cedar was the primary structuring species of a vegetation type that has now practically vanished due to anthropogenic pressure. Consequently, the Canarian cedar, endemic to the islands of Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and Gran Canaria, is classified as nationally and internationally threatened. Herein, we present the first results of the JUNIPERADAPT project, which aims to: (i) reconstruct the historical biogeography and evolution of the Canarian cedar across its current distribution range through population genomics; and (ii) predict range shifts of the Canary cedar under past and future climate change scenarios through the implementation of species distribution models. By integrating these complementary approaches, we seek to unveil its demographic trajectory, infer the possible impact of societies that colonized the Canary Islands (i.e., both Canarian aborigines and European colonizers), and identify current refuges of genetic diversity.