TY - JOUR
T1 - Southward Pleistocene migration of Douglas-fir into Mexico
T2 - Phylogeography, ecological niche modeling, and conservation of 'rear edge' populations
AU - Gugger, Paul F.
AU - Gonzalez-Rodriguez, Antonio
AU - Rodriguez-Correa, Hernando
AU - Sugita, Shinya
AU - Cavender-Bares, Jeannine
PY - 2011/3
Y1 - 2011/3
N2 - Poleward Pleistocene plant migration has been an important process structuring modern temperate and boreal plant communities, but the contribution of equatorward migration remains poorly understood. Paleobotanical evidence suggests Miocene or Pleistocene origin for temperate 'sky island' plant taxa in Mexico. These 'rear edge' populations situated in a biodiversity hotspot may be an important reserve of genetic diversity in changing climates. We used mtDNA sequences, cpDNA sequences and chloroplast microsatellites to test hypotheses of Miocene vs Pleistocene colonization of temperate Douglas-fir in Mexico, explore geographic patterns of molecular variation in relation to Pleistocene climate history using ecological niche models, and assess the taxonomic and conservation implications. We found strong evidence for Pleistocene divergence of Douglas-fir in Mexico (958 thousand yr before present (ka) with the 90% highest posterior density interval ranging from 1.6 million yr before present (Ma) to 491ka), consistent with the southward Pleistocene migration hypothesis. Genetic diversity was high and strongly partitioned among populations. Spatial patterns of molecular variation and ecological niche models suggest a complex late Pleistocene history involving periods of isolation and expansion along mountain corridors. These results highlight the importance of southward Pleistocene migration in establishing modern high-diversity plant communities and provide critical insights into proposals to conserve the unique biodiversity of Mexican Douglas-fir and associated taxa.
AB - Poleward Pleistocene plant migration has been an important process structuring modern temperate and boreal plant communities, but the contribution of equatorward migration remains poorly understood. Paleobotanical evidence suggests Miocene or Pleistocene origin for temperate 'sky island' plant taxa in Mexico. These 'rear edge' populations situated in a biodiversity hotspot may be an important reserve of genetic diversity in changing climates. We used mtDNA sequences, cpDNA sequences and chloroplast microsatellites to test hypotheses of Miocene vs Pleistocene colonization of temperate Douglas-fir in Mexico, explore geographic patterns of molecular variation in relation to Pleistocene climate history using ecological niche models, and assess the taxonomic and conservation implications. We found strong evidence for Pleistocene divergence of Douglas-fir in Mexico (958 thousand yr before present (ka) with the 90% highest posterior density interval ranging from 1.6 million yr before present (Ma) to 491ka), consistent with the southward Pleistocene migration hypothesis. Genetic diversity was high and strongly partitioned among populations. Spatial patterns of molecular variation and ecological niche models suggest a complex late Pleistocene history involving periods of isolation and expansion along mountain corridors. These results highlight the importance of southward Pleistocene migration in establishing modern high-diversity plant communities and provide critical insights into proposals to conserve the unique biodiversity of Mexican Douglas-fir and associated taxa.
KW - CpDNA
KW - CpSSR
KW - Ecological niche modeling
KW - Mexico
KW - MtDNA
KW - Phylogeography
KW - Pseudotsuga menziesii
KW - Rear edge
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79551537856&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=79551537856&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03559.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03559.x
M3 - Article
C2 - 21118265
AN - SCOPUS:79551537856
SN - 0028-646X
VL - 189
SP - 1185
EP - 1199
JO - New Phytologist
JF - New Phytologist
IS - 4
ER -