Spatial genetic structure of Aquilegia taxa endemic to the island of Sardinia.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the most important regions for the Earth's plant biodiversity; however, the scarcity of studies on fine scale patterns of genetic variation in this region is striking. Here, an assessment is made of the spatial genetic structure of all known locations of the three Sardinian endemic species of Aquilegia in order to determine the relative roles of gene flow and genetic drift as underlying evolutionary forces canalizing the divergence of Sardinian Aquilegia taxa, and to see if the spatial genetic structure found fits the current taxonomic differentiation of these taxa.

Methods

DNA from 89 individuals from all known locations of Aquilegia across Sardinia was analysed by means of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) m

SUBMITTER: Garrido JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3310493 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature