Population clustering and clonal structure evidence the relict state of Ulmus minor Mill. in the Balearic Islands.

ABSTRACT: Field elm (Ulmus minor) is a riparian tree that grows in rare, small populations scattered along temporary watercourses in the Balearic Islands, nowadays mostly covered with Mediterranean vegetation. Agriculture and farming on the fertile land along the periodically flooded plains have reduced the elm populations to sparse tree lines along the creek beds. The presence of field elm in this very anthropic landscape has led some authors to consider it as an introduced species in the Balearics. However, pollen data suggest these elms may be the remains of larger populations experiencing continuous population shrinkage during the Holocene, and hence be native to the isles. In this paper, we apply genetic markers to assess whether field elm is or is not indigenous to the Balearic Islands. We com

SUBMITTER: Fuentes-Utrilla P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4815654 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature