Utility for conservation
The clarification of genetic divergence and evolutionary history of
subspecies highlights the predictive value of subspecies designation.
The availability of genomic divergence data strengthens the necessity to
treat these subspecies as different conservation units, helping to avoid
neglect of important genetic resources. The cases of cryptic species
going extinct before human recognition should be alarming (Yan et al.,
2018). In practice, our assessment provides instructions for selecting
source plants for transplanting or breeding in mangrove restoration
projects. The conservation of individual species and intraspecific
genetic diversity is of great importance in mangrove conservation. The
stability of the ecosystem may be cumulatively enhanced by weak effects
of individual units of diversity, analogous to gene regulatory networks
(Chen et al., 2019). As one of the most widely distributed mangrove
species, A. marina is important for the ecological health of
coastal ecosystems, especially as the global climate continues to
change.