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Abstract Detail



Biogeography

Vargas-Rodriguez, Yalma [1], Platt, William [2], Urbatsch, Lowell [3].

Comparative phylogeography of temperate and tropical sugar maples.

Glacial and interglacial periods have influenced the abundance and genetic structure of tree populations in North America, as well as in tropical regions of Central America. The biogeographical history of vegetation might be more complex at lower than higher latitudes because species arrived at different times and from different migration routes. We determined the regional structuring of genetic variation across sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and related species in tropical America (Acer saccharum subsp. skutchii and Acer spp. nov.). We defined genetic subdivisions using nuclear and chloroplast data and tested whether genetic subdivisions are temporally consistent with a Pleistocene or older divergence. The studied populations span a geographic range from Maine, USA, to El Progreso, Guatemala. We found spatial genetic boundaries in tropical regions that are consistent with a divergence time prior to the Pleistocene. Our data also indicates that Pleistocene refugia at low latitudes may have contributed to expansion of ranges more than the populations in the southeastern USA. We discuss the historical processes that may have contributed to the genetic structuring of maple populations.

Broader Impacts:


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1 - Louisiana State University, 107 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
2 - Louisiana State University, Department of Biological Sciences, 202 Life Science Building, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA
3 - Louisiana State University, Biology Department, RM 202, LIFE SCIENCES, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, USA

Keywords:
Acer
Sapindaceae
cloud forest
genetic diversity
divergence time estimation.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper:Papers for Topics
Session: 50
Location: Magnolia/Riverside Hilton
Date: Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Time: 2:30 PM
Number: 50005
Abstract ID:856
Candidate for Awards:None


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