2001 The American Genetic Association 92:339–345 Genetic Diversity of the Macaronesian Leafy Liverwort Porella canariensis Inferred From RAPD Markers

• Main Authors: H. Freitas, A. Brehm
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: North Atlantic
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.490.6799; http://jhered.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/4/339.full.pdf

Plant colonization of the North Atlantic raises the intriguing question of the rela-tionships between extant island species with their continental counterparts (Eu-ropean, African, and American), which may provide clues to past geographic dis-tribution and colonization history. It has been suggested that during past glaciations, many plant species with typical Mediterranean distributions survived in the Atlantic islands that belong to what is today known as Macronesia. We used random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to study 12 populations of the liverwort Porella canariensis partly covering its present-day distribution (Azores, Madeira, Canary and Cape Verde Islands, and Iberian Peninsula). Unweighted pair-group (UPGMA) and principal component (PCO) analyses showed a similar geo-graphical pattern that suggested a close relationship between Iberian populations and those from the Canaries and Cape Verde Islands. Populations from Madeira had more genetic variation than those from the Azores, a result from either a richer diversity of habitats in Madeira, which prompted more population diversification, successive colonization waves from different origins, or an older colonization of