Strong gene flow explains lack of mating system variation in the perennial herb, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria, in a fragmented landscape ...

• Main Authors: Muola, Anne, Scheepens, Johannes F., Laukkanen, Liisa, Kalske, Aino, Mutikainen, Pia, Leimu, Roosa
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: ETH Zurich 2021
• Subjects: dispersal; Finnish archipelago; inbreeding; isolation; microsatellites; outcrossing rate; selfing; Ice Sheet
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000483181; http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11850/483181

Fragmented landscapes may have implications for the genetic structure of populations and for the microevolution of plant species. In particular, landscape fragmentation and/or population isolation might affect the evolution of plant mating systems. Here, we study the consequences of landscape fragmentation on the genetic structure of populations of a perennial herb, Vincetoxicum hirundinaria with a mixed mating system. Our study area, the south‐western Finnish archipelago, was formed after the glacial ice sheet started to retreat 12 000 years ago. Due to the isostatic land uplift following the glacial retreat, suitable habitats have been formed gradually, and as a consequence, populations of V. hirundinaria differ in age, size and their degree of isolation in the area. We hypothesized that a mixed‐mating system has been selected for in these populations due to the advantage of self‐fertilization in newly colonized areas and the advantage of outcrossing in adaptation to heterogeneous environments. To test ... : Nordic Journal of Botany, 39 (4) ...