The narrow endemic Norwegian peat moss Sphagnum troendelagicum originated before the last glacial maximum.

ABSTRACT: It is commonly found that individual hybrid, polyploid species originate recurrently and that many polyploid species originated relatively recently. It has been previously hypothesized that the extremely rare allopolyploid peat moss Sphagnum troendelagicum has originated multiple times, possibly after the last glacial maximum in Scandinavia. This conclusion was based on low linkage disequilibrium in anonymous genetic markers within natural populations, in which sexual reproduction has never been observed. Here we employ microsatellite markers and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA)-encoded trnG sequence data to test hypotheses concerning the origin and evolution of this species. We find that S. tenellum is the maternal progenitor and S. balticum is the paternal progenitor of S. troendelagicum. Using v

SUBMITTER: Stenoien HK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3183867 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature