Unravelling plant diversification: Intraspecific genetic differentiation in hybridizing Anacyclus species in the western Mediterranean Basin

Premise: The interfertile species Anacyclus clavatus, A. homogamos, and A. valentinus represent a plant complex coexisting in large anthropic areas of the western Mediterranean Basin with phenotypically mixed populations exhibiting a great floral variation. The goal of this study was to estimate the...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Bruno Agudo, A., Xavier Picó, F., García Mateo, Rubén, Marcer, Arnald, Torices Blanco, Rubén, Álvarez, Inés
Format: article
Publication Date:2023
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
Repository:Biblos-e Archivo. Repositorio Institucional de la UAM
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:repositorio.uam.es:10486/708434
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10486/708434
https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajb2.16121
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Mediterranean Basin
Coexistence
Dicotyledon
Genetic Differentiation
Introgression
Niche Overlap
Biología y Biomedicina / Biología
Description
Summary:Premise: The interfertile species Anacyclus clavatus, A. homogamos, and A. valentinus represent a plant complex coexisting in large anthropic areas of the western Mediterranean Basin with phenotypically mixed populations exhibiting a great floral variation. The goal of this study was to estimate the genetic identity of each species, to infer the role of hybridization in the observed phenotypic diversity, and to explore the effect of climate on the geographic distribution of species and genetic clusters. Methods: We used eight nuclear microsatellites to genotype 585 individuals from 31 populations of three Anacyclus species for population genetic analyses by using clustering algorithms based on Bayesian models and ordination methods. In addition, we used ecological niche models and niche overlap analyses for both the species and genetic clusters. We used an expanded data set, including 721 individuals from 129 populations for ecological niche models of the genetic clusters. Results: We found a clear correspondence between species and genetic clusters, except for A. clavatus that included up to three genetic clusters. We detected individuals with admixed genetic ancestry in A. clavatus and in mixed populations. Ecological niche models predicted similar distributions for species and genetic clusters. For the two specific genetic clusters of A. clavatus, ecological niche models predicted remarkably different areas. Conclusions: Gene flow between Anacyclus species likely explains phenotypic diversity in contact areas. In addition, we suggest that introgression could be involved in the origin of one of the two A. clavatus genetic clusters, which also showed ecological differentiation