Neutral and adaptive drivers of microgeographic genetic divergence within continuous populations: the case of the neotropical tree Eperua falcata (Aubl.).

ABSTRACT:

Background

In wild plant populations, genetic divergence within continuous stands is common, sometimes at very short geographical scales. While restrictions to gene flow combined with local inbreeding and genetic drift may cause neutral differentiation among subpopulations, microgeographical variations in environmental conditions can drive adaptive divergence through natural selection at some targeted loci. Such phenomena have recurrently been observed in plant populations occurring across sharp environmental boundaries, but the interplay between selective processes and neutral genetic divergence has seldom been studied.

Methods

We assessed the extent of within-stand neutral and environmentally-driven divergence in the Neotropical tree Eperua falcate Aubl. (Fabaceae) through

SUBMITTER: Brousseau L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4373894 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature