Molecular Footprints of Quaternary Climate Fluctuations in the Circumpolar Tundra Shrub Dwarf Birch.

ABSTRACT: The Arctic tundra biome is undergoing rapid shrub expansion ('shrubification') in response to anthropogenic climate change. During the previous ~2.6 million years, glacial cycles caused substantial shifts in Arctic vegetation, leading to changes in species' distributions, abundance and connectivity, which have left lasting impacts on the genetic structure of modern populations. Examining how shrubs responded to past climate change through genetic data reveals the demographic dynamics that shaped their current diversity and distribution and sheds light on the resilience of Arctic shrubs. Here we test scenarios of Quaternary demographic history of dwarf birch species (Betula nana L. and Betula Glandulosa Michx.) using Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers obtained from RAD sequencing

SUBMITTER: Dance M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12456113 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature