Genetic differentiation and hybrid identification using microsatellite markers in closely related wild species.

ABSTRACT: Identifying the genetic basis of speciation is critical for understanding the evolutionary history of closely related wild species. Recently diverged species facilitate the study of speciation because many genetic and morphological characteristics are still shared by the organisms under study. The Petunia genus grows in South American grasslands and comprises both recently diverged wild species and commercial species. In this work, we analysed two closely related species: Petunia exserta, which has a narrow endemic range and grows exclusively in rocky shelters, and Petunia axillaris, which is widely distributed and comprises three allopatric subspecies. Petunia axillaris ssp. axillaris and P. exserta occur in sympatry, and putative hybrids between them have been identified. Here, we analys

SUBMITTER: Turchetto C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4565426 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature