Holocene climate changes explain the spatial pattern in genetic diversity in populations of Cyperus papyrus from Southeast Africa wetlands.

ABSTRACT: Wetlands are one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world because more than 70% of the area worldwide has been lost since 1900. Wetland plant species rely greatly on water for seeds and propagules, which may lead to a downstream unidirectional dispersal and accumulation of genetic diversity downstream. However, several species show no support for unidirectional genetic diversity, revealing the complexity of population dynamics and gene flow in wetlands. Here, we used microsatellite loci to address how the past demographic dynamics shaped the contemporary spatial pattern in genetic diversity and population structure of Cyperus papyrus in wetlands of Southeast Africa. Using spatially explicit analysis and coalescent modelling, we found no support for unidirectional dispersal. Instead,

SUBMITTER: Maxombe EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9613894 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature