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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Elevational patterns of genetic variation in the cosmopolitan moss Bryum argenteum (Bryaceae)
American Journal of Botany, Volume 100, No. 10, Year 2013
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Description
Premise of the study: The Baas Becking tenet posits that 'everything is everywhere, but the environment selects' to explain cosmopolitan distributions in highly vagile taxa. Bryophyte species show wider distributions than vascular plants and include examples of truly cosmopolitan ranges, which have been interpreted as a result of high dispersal capacities and ecological plasticity. In the current study, we documented patterns of genetic structure and diversity in the cosmopolitan moss Bryum argenteum along an elevational gradient to determine if genetic diversity and structure is homogenized by intense migrations in the lack of ecological differentiation. Methods: 60 specimens were collected in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (Spain) between 100 and 2870 m and sequenced for ITS and rps4. Comparative analyses, genetic diversity estimators, and Mantel's tests were employed to determine the relationship between genetic variation, elevation, and geographic distance and to look for signs of demographic shifts. Key results: Genetic diversity peaked above 1900 m and no signs of demographic shifts were detected at any elevation. There was a strong phylogenetic component in elevational variation. Genetic variation was significantly correlated with elevation, but not with geographic distance. Conclusions: The results point to the long-term persistence of Bryum argenteum in a range that was glaciated during the Late Pleistocene. Evidence for an environmentally driven pattern of genetic differentiation suggests adaptive divergence. This supports the Baas Becking tenet and indicates that ecological specialization might play a key role in explaining patterns of genetic structure in cosmopolitan mosses. © 2013 Botanical Society of America.
Authors & Co-Authors
Pisa, Sergio
Spain, Murcia
Universidad de Murcia
Werner, Olaf
Spain, Murcia
Universidad de Murcia
Vanderpoorten, Alain
Belgium, Liege
Université de Liège
Magdy, Mahmoud
Spain, Murcia
Universidad de Murcia
Egypt, Cairo
Ain Shams University
Ros, R. M.
Spain, Murcia
Universidad de Murcia
Statistics
Citations: 27
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.3732/ajb.1300100
ISSN:
00029122
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics