Conservation Implications for the Iberian Narrow Endemic (Primulaceae) Using Population Genomics With Target Capture Sequence Data.

(Losa & P. Monts.) Kress is a narrow endemic alpine plant restricted to a few high-elevation localities in the Cantabrian Mountains of northern Spain. Although currently accepted as a distinct species, its close morphological and phylogenetic affinity to related taxa such as and has led to historical uncertainty about its taxonomic status and evolutionary origin. Here, we use the universal Angiosperms353 target capture kit to generate nuclear and plastid data from and closely related species in section . We employ phylogenomic analyses to clarify species boundaries and population genomic analyses to inform conservation management, as well as flow cytometry and sequence-based analysis using allelic frequencies to estimate its ploidy level. Phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear loci support as a monophyletic clade, distinct from both and the and clades, although topological incongruence with plastid data suggests historical hybridization. Flow cytometry and allelic frequency-based analysis indicate that is tetraploid, differentiating it from and , which are diploid. Population structure analyses reveal a shallow genetic split between eastern and western groups (  = 0.04485), with higher genetic diversity observed in the east. We estimated the species' distribution, population sizes, and threats, and classified it as Vulnerable under IUCN criteria B1ab(ii,iii) + 2ab(ii,iii). We recommend targeted in situ management, seed conservation, and the establishment of a micro-reserve. This study illustrates the utility of Angiosperms353 data for resolving both taxonomic questions and conservation strategies in polyploid, range-restricted species.