Combining Ecological and Genomic Diversity Surveys to Inform Conservation and Restoration of an Endangered Wetland Plant, Soft Salty Bird’s-Beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle)

Abstract

Emergent tidal wetlands are declining globally as a result of sea level rise and land use change. This habitat loss can keenly affect rare plant species within wetlands, and may require restoration to meet species recovery goals related to retaining populations throughout species' ranges. Soft salty bird’s-beak (Chloropyron molle ssp. molle) is a federally- and state-endangered hemi-parasitic plant that occurs at the upper marsh transition zone in the San Francisco Bay–Delta, California, USA. We combined field surveys to document habitat associations and trends in abundance with genomic surveys to understand patterns of genetic structure in this rare endemic. We found that C. molle ssp. molle persisted at nine previously occupied marsh sites, although four sites (Hill Slough, MOTCO East, Fagan Marsh, and Joice Island) were smaller in population size than when surveyed in the 1990s. Additionally, twelve sites contained plots with suitable but unoccupied habitat that could be further assessed for restoration. Genomic analysis of over 40,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 253 individuals grouped C. molle ssp. molle into six to seven regional genetic clusters with isolation by distance, and confirmed that C. molle ssp. molle is genetically distinct from adjacent populations of its closest relative (C. molle ssp. hispidum). The western-most C. molle ssp. molle sites of Point Pinole and Fagan Marsh were the most genetically and geographically isolated and had the lowest genome-wide diversity. Heterozygosity in sets of genes associated with tidal elevation, salinity, and annual and summer precipitation varied independently across populations. Overall, these genomic patterns indicate that selecting donor sites with similar environmental conditions and utilizing composite seeding approaches from multiple sites could allow for local adaptation to a range of possible environmental conditions. This comprehensive survey of habitat and genomic patterns can allow for the development of restoration actions and build climate-adaptation planning to help prevent the loss of a rare plant.