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The EC-supported Network of Excellence Evoltree (http://www.evoltree.eu) formed a group of scientists involved in and actively contributing to Jointly Executed Research Activities on community genetics in forest ecosystems. In addition to the main authors, the group includes S. Augu-stin, M. Brandle, C. Burban, J. Burczyk, S. Cavers, I. Chybicki, C. Conord, E. Cremer, J. DeWoody, K. Donges, B. Fady,L. Karlinski, C. Kerdelhue, B. Kieliszewska-Rokicka, G. Kost, M. Kulczyk-Skrzeszewska, F. Lakatos, F. Lefevre, S.Liepelt, S. Oddou-Muratorio, K.-H. Rexer, M. Rudawska, M.Schadler, G. Taylor, K. Tuba, M. Viger, F. Villani, M. Villar.; Understanding the interactions of co-occurring species within and across trophic levels provides key information needed for understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that underlie biological diversity. As genetics has only recently been integrated into the study of community-level interactions, the time is right for a critical evaluation of potential new, gene-based approaches to studying communities. Next-generation molecular techniques, used in parallel with field-based observations and manipulative experiments across spatio-temporal gradients, are key to expanding our understanding of community-level processes. Here, we introduce a variety of ‘-omics’ tools, with recent studies of plant–insect herbivores and of ectomycorrhizal systems providing detailed examples of how next-generation approaches can revolutionize our understanding of interspecific interactions. We suggest ways that novel technologies may convert community genetics from a field that relies on correlative inference to one that reveals causal mechanisms of genetic co-variation and adaptations within communities.

International audience

We produced the first time-calibrated phylogeny of all 64 native tree genera occurring on the European side of the Mediterranean Basin. This phylogeny is based on 3 plastid DNA sequences (rbcL matK and trnH-psbA), 4 recognized fossil dates and 10 secondary calibrations. Based on the inferred topology, we then tested whether the investigated tree flora exhibits phylogenetic clustering in both life-history traits known to influence reproduction and species’ vulnerability to extinction. Our topology and the estimated dates mostly conform to published partial phylogenies and are highly congruent with the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification except for some minor incongruences including the still debated phylogenetic position of Magnoliids. The four strictly endemic genera of the Mediterranean Basin (Chamaerops, Phillyrea, Spartium and Tetraclinis) all showed emergence dates (11–72 Ma) long before the onset of the Mediterranean climate. We did not find any imprints of phylogenetic sorting processes on the life-history traits we studied, except for the mode of seed dispersal, which showed a clustered distribution across our topology. The presence of species at risk of potential extinction within a given genus was randomly distributed along the phylogenetic tree. Species with deficient data were significantly nested within a few of the most recently evolved angiosperm genera. Our analysis closes knowledge gaps and provides a valuable basis for studying the biogeographical and ecological processes that have generated the Mediterranean tree flora. It can also inform conservation planning strategies that aim at broadening traditional taxonomy-focused perspectives with components of evolutionary history and phylogenetic singularity.

We produced the first time-calibrated phylogeny of all 64 native tree genera occurring on the European side of the Mediterranean Basin. This phylogeny is based on 3 plastid DNA sequences (rbcL matK and trnH-psbA), 4 recognized fossil dates and 10 secondary calibrations. Based on the inferred topology, we then tested whether the investigated tree flora exhibits phylogenetic clustering in both life-history traits known to influence reproduction and species’ vulnerability to extinction. Our topology and the estimated dates mostly conform to published partial phylogenies and are highly congruent with the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification except for some minor incongruences including the still debated phylogenetic position of Magnoliids. The four strictly endemic genera of the Mediterranean Basin (Chamaerops, Phillyrea, Spartium and Tetraclinis) all showed emergence dates (11–72 Ma) long before the onset of the Mediterranean climate. We did not find any imprints of phylogenetic sorting processes on the life-history traits we studied, except for the mode of seed dispersal, which showed a clustered distribution across our topology. The presence of species at risk of potential extinction within a given genus was randomly distributed along the phylogenetic tree. Species with deficient data were significantly nested within a few of the most recently evolved angiosperm genera. Our analysis closes knowledge gaps and provides a valuable basis for studying the biogeographical and ecological processes that have generated the Mediterranean tree flora. It can also inform conservation planning strategies that aim at broadening traditional taxonomy-focused perspectives with components of evolutionary history and phylogenetic singularity.

22 Pág. Centro de Investigación Forestal (CIFOR), Purpose of Review: Recognizing that in the context of global change, tree genetic diversity represents a crucial resource for future forest adaptation, we review and highlight the major forest genetics research achievements of the past decades in biodiversity-rich countries of the Mediterranean region. For this, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature spanning the past thirty years (1991–2020). Putting together the representative regionwide expertise of our co-authorship, we propose research perspectives for the next decade. Recent Findings: Forest genetics research in Mediterranean countries is organized into three different scientific domains of unequal importance. The domain “Population diversity and Differentiation” related to over 62% of all publications of the period, the domain “Environmental conditions, growth and stress response” to almost 23%, and the domain “Phylogeography” to almost 15%. Citation rate was trending the opposite way, indicating a strong and sustained interest in phylogeography and a rising interest for genetics research related to climate change and drought resistance. The share of publications from Asia and Africa to the total within the Mediterranean increased significantly during the 30-year period analyzed, reaching just below 30% during the last decade. Summary: Describing poorly known species and populations, including marginal populations, using the full potential of genomic methods, testing adaptation in common gardens, and modeling adaptive capacity to build reliable scenarios for forest management remain strategic research priorities. Delineating areas of high and low genetic diversity, for conservation and restoration, respectively, is needed. Joining forces between forest management and forest research, sharing data, experience, and knowledge within and among countries will have to progress significantly, e.g., to assess the potential of Mediterranean genetic resources as assisted migration material worldwide. Introductory quote:: Let us collect with care the facts we can observe, let us consult experience wherever we can, and when this experience is inaccessible to us, let us assemble all the inductions which observation of facts analogous to those which escape us can furnish and let us assert nothing categorically; in this way, we shall be able little by little to discover the causes of a multitude of natural phenomena, and, perhaps, even of phenomena which seem the most incomprehensible.. J.B. de Lamarck (Philosophie zoologique, 1809), cited by O. Langlet (1971)., European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 676876 COST Action FP1202 “Strengthening conservation: a key issue for adaptation of marginal/peripheral populations of forest trees to climate change in Europe (MaP-FGR)

11 Pág. Instituto de Ciencias Forestales (ICIFOR), Marginal and peripheral populations are important for biodiversity conservation. Their original situation in a species’ geographic and ecological space often confers them genetic diversity and traits of high adaptive value. Yet theoretical hypotheses related to marginality are difficult to test because of confounding factors that influence marginality, namely environment, geography, and history. There is an urgent need to develop metrics to disentangle these confounding factors. We designed nine quantitative indices of marginality and peripherality that define where margins lie within species distributions, from a geographical, an environmental and a historical perspective. Using the distribution maps of eight European forest tree species, we assessed whether these indices were idiosyncratic or whether they conveyed redundant information. Using a database on marginal and peripheral populations based on expert knowledge, we assessed the capacity of the indices to predict the marginality status of a population. There was no consistent pattern of correlation between indices across species, confirming that the indices conveyed different information related to the specific geometry of the species distributions. Contrasting with this heterogeneity of correlation patterns across species, the relative importance of the indices to predict the marginality status of populations was consistent across species. However, there was still a significant country effect in the marginality status, showing a variation in expert opinion of marginality vis-á-vis the species distribution. The marginality indices that we developed are entirely based on distribution maps and can be used for any species. They pave the way for testing hypotheses related to marginality and peripherality, with important implications in quantitative ecology, genetics, and biodiversity conservation., This article is based upon work from COST Action FP1202 “Strengthening conservation: a key issue for adaptation of marginal/peripheral populations of forest trees to climate change in Europe” (MaP-FGR), supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). RA, DG and EN have been partially supported by the Project AEG 17–048 established in the frame of the measure 15.2 and under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) with 75% co-financing. MM, AP and GGV have been partially supported by resources available from the Italian Ministry of University and Research (FOE-2019) under the project “Climate Change” (CNR DTA.AD003.474). MW was supported by Slovenian Research Agency, research core funding No. P4-0107. The research has also been partially financed by the H2020 projects B4EST (Grant Nr. 773383) and FORGENIUS (Grant Nr. 862221).

International audience; Biodiversity is the diversity of life at all scales, from genes to ecosystems. Predicting its patterns of variation across the globe is a fundamental issue in ecology and evolution. Diversity within species, that is, genetic diversity, is of prime importance for understanding past and present evolutionary patterns, and highlighting areas where conservation might be a priority. Using published data on the genetic diversity of species whose populations occur in the Mediterranean basin, we calculated a coefficient of correlation between within-population genetic diversity indices and longitude. Using a meta-analysis framework, we estimated the role of biological, ecological, biogeographic, and marker type factors on the strength and magnitude of this correlation in six phylla. Overall, genetic diversity increases from west to east in the Mediterranean basin. This correlation is significant for both animals and plants, but is not uniformly expressed for all groups. It is stronger in the southern than in the northern Mediterranean, in true Mediterranean plants than in plants found at higher elevations, in trees than in other plants, and in bi-parentally and paternally than in maternally inherited DNA makers. Overall, this correlation between genetic diversity and longitude, and its patterns across biological and ecological traits, suggests the role of two non-mutually exclusive major processes that shaped the genetic diversity in the Mediterranean during and after the cold periods of the Pleistocene: east-west recolonization during the Holocene and population size contraction under local Last Glacial Maximum climate in resident western and low elevation Mediterranean populations.

Biodiversity informatics plays a central enabling role in the research community's efforts to address scientific\ud conservation and sustainability issues. Great strides have been made in the past decade establishing a framework\ud for sharing data, where taxonomy and systematics has been perceived as the most prominent discipline involved.\ud To some extent this is inevitable, given the use of species names as the pivot around which information is\ud organised. To address the urgent questions around conservation, land-use, environmental change, sustainability,\ud food security and ecosystem services that are facing Governments worldwide, we need to understand how the\ud ecosystem works. So, we need a systems approach to understanding biodiversity that moves significantly beyond\ud taxonomy and species observations. Such an approach needs to look at the whole system to address species\ud interactions, both with their environment and with other species.\ud It is clear that some barriers to progress are sociological, basically persuading people to use the technological\ud solutions that are already available. This is best addressed by developing more effective systems that deliver\ud immediate benefit to the user, hiding the majority of the technology behind simple user interfaces. An\ud infrastructure should be a space in which activities take place and, as such, should be effectively invisible.\ud This community consultation paper positions the role of biodiversity informatics, for the next decade, presenting\ud the actions needed to link the various biodiversity infrastructures invisibly and to facilitate understanding that can\ud support both business and policy-makers. The community considers the goal in biodiversity informatics to be full\ud integration of the biodiversity research community, including citizens’ science, through a commonly-shared,\ud sustainable e-infrastructure across all sub-disciplines that reliably serves science and society alike.