Multiple colonization and dispersal events hide the early origin and induce a lack of genetic structure of the moss Bryum argenteum in Antarctica.

ABSTRACT: The dispersal routes of taxa with transoceanic disjunctions remain poorly understood, with the potential roles of Antarctica not yet demonstrated. Mosses are suitable organisms to test direct intra-Antarctic dispersal, as major component of the extant Antarctic flora, with the cosmopolitan moss Bryum argenteum as ideal target species. We analyzed the genetic structure of B. argenteum to provide an evolutionary time frame for its radiation and shed light into its historical biogeography in the Antarctic region. We tested two alternative scenarios: (a) intra-Antarctic panmixia and (b) intra-Antarctic genetic differentiation. Furthermore, we tested for evidence of the existence of specific intra-Antarctic dispersal routes. Sixty-seven new samples (40 collected in Antarctica) wer

SUBMITTER: Zaccara S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7452785 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature