Land masses and oceanic currents drive population structure of Heritiera littoralis, a widespread mangrove in the Indo-West Pacific.

ABSTRACT: Phylogeographic forces driving evolution of sea-dispersed plants are often influenced by regional and species characteristics, although not yet deciphered at a large spatial scale for many taxa like the mangrove species Heritiera littoralis. This study aimed to assess geographic distribution of genetic variation of this widespread mangrove in the Indo-West Pacific region and identify the phylogeographic factors influencing its present-day distribution. Analysis of five chloroplast DNA fragments' sequences from 37 populations revealed low genetic diversity at the population level and strong genetic structure of H. littoralis in this region. The estimated divergence times between the major genetic lineages indicated that glacial level changes during the Pleistocene epoch induce

SUBMITTER: Banerjee AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7391321 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature