Biome stability predicts population structure of a southern African aridland bird species.

ABSTRACT: Environments are heterogeneous in space and time, and the permeability of landscape and climatic barriers to gene flow may change over time. When barriers are present, they may start populations down the path toward speciation, but if they become permeable before the process of speciation is complete, populations may once more merge. In Southern Africa, aridland biomes play a central role in structuring the organization of biodiversity. These biomes were subject to substantial restructuring during Plio-Pleistocene climatic fluctuations, and the imprint of this changing environment should leave genetic signatures on the species living there. Here, we investigate the role of adjacent aridland biome boundaries in structuring the genetic diversity within a widespread generalist bird, the Cape

SUBMITTER: Wogan GOU 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7244808 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature