Scientific Reports | 6:26613 | DOI: 10.1038/srep26613
Population dynamics of Agriophyllum squarrosum, a pioneer annual plant endemic to mobile
sand dunes, in response to global climate change
Chaoju Qian1,2, Hengxia Yin1,2, Yong Shi1,2, Jiecai Zhao1,2, Chengliang Yin1,2, Wanyin Luo3,
Zhibao Dong3, Guoxiong Chen1, Xia Yan1,4, Xiao-Ru Wang5 & Xiao-Fei Ma1
Climate change plays an important role in the transition of ecosystems. Stratigraphic investigations
have suggested that the Asian interior experienced frequent transitions between grassland and desert
ecosystems as a consequence of global climate change. Using maternally and bi-parentally inherited
markers, we investigated the population dynamics of Agriophyllum squarrosum (Chenopodiaceae),
an annual pioneer plant endemic to mobile sand dunes. Phylogeographic analysis revealed that A.
squarrosum could originate from Gurbantunggut desert since ~1.6 Ma, and subsequently underwent
three waves of colonisation into other deserts and sandy lands corresponding to several glaciations.
The rapid population expansion and distribution range shifts of A. squarrosum from monsoonal climate
zones suggested that the development of the monsoonal climate significantly enhanced the population
growth and gene flow of A. squarrosum. These data also suggested that desertification of the fragile
grassland ecosystems in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau was more ancient than previously suggested
and will be aggravated under global warming in the future. This study provides new molecular
phylogeographic insights into how pioneer annual plant species in desert ecosystems respond to global
climate change, and facilitates evaluation of the ecological potential and genetic resources of future
crops for non-arable dry lands to mitigate climate change.