6 | CONCLUSIONS AND PERSPECTIVE
Within-population genetic variation, both natural and restored, is
crucial for the response to short-term environmental stresses and
long-term evolutionary change. Although the levels ofH e are often correlated with fitness
(Oostermeijer et al., 1994; Reed & Frankham, 2003; Szulkin et al.,
2010), H e of NGV is poorly correlated with
heritability (h 2 orH 2) of quantitative traits (AGV). As discussed
above, the relationship of H e toh 2 or H 2 is often very
weak, while the relationship between F ST andQ ST is comparatively stronger; thus,F ST could be considered a proxy ofQ ST. However, whenever logistically possible,
common garden and/or transplant studies are strongly recommended to
quantify patterns of adaptive genetic variation and differentiation (de
Villemereuil et al., 2016; Sork, 2018; Capblancq et al., 2020). The most
comprehensive studies conducted so far are generally those carried out
with many commercially important tree species (e.g., eucalypts, oaks,
poplars, pines, and spruces), as plants (including propagules) with
well-adapted genotypes are used to replant clear-cut areas (Depardieu et
al., 2020). Exemplifying this, 14 out of 18 entries for woody perennials
(seven genera) used in our analyses belong to the
eucalypt-oak-pine-spruce-poplar group (De Kort et al., 2013). More
studies on Q ST–F STcomparisons are needed, particularly on rare woody species and common
herbaceous species, to avoid bias in the inferences, as well as to
balance entries among the different life forms. Although the differences
between herbaceous and woody plants regarding F STwere large in the data reviewed here, similar average values forQ ST were relatively common in the data set used
(De Kort et al., 2013). With a larger dataset, one could also expect
some generalizations to emerge concerning theQ ST–F ST relationships
regarding life history characteristics and morphological/anatomical
traits. Such generalizations could aid conservation managers and
practitioners in using neutral F ST estimates to
predict approximate Q ST values and aid the
conservation and restoration of plant species. Multiple approaches,
including molecular markers (NGV), quantitative traits and/or
quantitative trait loci coding for traits and contemporary genome-wide
association approaches in the context of a common garden experiment, and
environmental variation (e.g., designation of climatic zonation) are
needed to gain comprehensive insights into conservation of herbs and
trees (de Villemereuil et al., 2016; Rodríguez-Quilón et al., 2016;
Sork, 2018).