Desert-like badlands and surrounding (semi-)dry grasslands of Central Germany promote small-scale phenotypic and genetic differentiation in Thymus praecox.

ABSTRACT: Environmental heterogeneity among sites can generate phenotypic and genetic variation facilitating differentiation and microevolution of plant populations. Badlands are desert-like, predominantly vegetation-poor habitats often embedded in (semi-)dry grasslands. The desert-like conditions of badlands demand extreme adaptation of plants, that is, phenotypic modifications in short-term and/or natural adaptation in long-term. However, detailed knowledge is missing about both plant phenotypic and genetic differentiation in this unique and widely occurring habitat type. The present study focused on the largest known badlands systems in Central Europe located in the "Drei Gleichen" region, a designated nature conservation area in Central Germany. Locations were suitable for this study in terms of

SUBMITTER: Karbstein K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6953696 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature