The impact of Pleistocene sea-level oscillations on plant genetic diversity: the case of the western Mediterranean endemic Carduncellus dianius (Asteraceae)

To what extent Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations have affected the genetic diversity of species is one of the current topics in biogeographical research. Carduncellus dianius is a Mediterranean narrow endemic species, restricted to < 20 populations distributed along coastal areas in Alicante (ma...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Herrando Moraira, Sonia, Massó, Sergi, Zani, Deborah, López-Pujol, Jordi, Vilatersana, Roser
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión aceptada para publicación
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/200141
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/200141
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:AFLP
Mediterranean species
Plastid DNA
Pleistocene
Population genetics
Descripción
Sumario:To what extent Pleistocene sea-level fluctuations have affected the genetic diversity of species is one of the current topics in biogeographical research. Carduncellus dianius is a Mediterranean narrow endemic species, restricted to < 20 populations distributed along coastal areas in Alicante (mainland eastern Iberian Peninsula) and on the island of Ibiza (Balearic Islands). To get insights into its evolutionary history and its genetic diversity and structure, we combined the analysis of molecular markers (three plastid DNA regions and AFLP) with ecological niche modelling. Results from dated phylogeographical analyses revealed that this species might have originated in the continental region during the early Pleistocene. The colonization of Ibiza could have occurred by a single long-distance dispersal event, with a subsequent back-colonization from the island to the same continental area of origin. These results corroborate the role of islands as sources for mainland colonization (biodiversity reservoirs) and as refugia during glacial periods. Notably, we detected that populations located on stable landmasses (i.e. not affected by sea rising during interglacial cycles) harboured significantly higher genetic diversity than those that were periodically submerged during the periods of marine transgressions. Our results point out sea-level fluctuations as a factor to be considered in phylogeographical studies focused on species distributed along coastlines.