0385441 - BÚ 2013 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Wagner, V. - Treiber, J. - Danihelka, Jiří - Ruprecht, E. - Wesche, K. - Hensen, I.
Declining genetic diversity and increasing genetic isolation toward the range periphery of Stipa pennata, a Eurasian Feather Grass.
International Journal of Plant Sciences. Roč. 173, č. 7 (2012), s. 802-811. ISSN 1058-5893. E-ISSN 1537-5315
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT LC06073
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60050516
Institutional support: RVO:67985939
Keywords : AFLP * fragmentation * geographic distribution
Subject RIV: EF - Botanics
Impact factor: 1.540, year: 2012

A common assumption in ecology and evolutionary biology is that genetic diversity declines and differentiation increases toward the edge of a species’ geographic range, where populations tend to be smaller and more isolated. We tested these predictions in a characteristic Eurasian steppe plant, Stipa pennata, by inspecting 230 AFLP bands in 26 populations (345 individuals) along a 3300-km longitudinal gradient from the range core, in Russia, to the range periphery, in central Europe. Overall, our study species showed low genetic diversity within populations (mean proportion of polymorphic) and moderately high genetic differentiation among them (mean). As predicted, genetic diversity declined significantly from the range core to the periphery but was not correlated with population size. Pairwise genetic differentiation was significantly higher among peripheral populations than central populations but did not show a pronounced relationship with geographic distance.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0214686