Population genetics and biogeography of the lungwort lichen in North America support distinct Eastern and Western gene pools ...

• Main Authors: Allen, Jessica, McMullin, R. Troy, Wiersma, Yolanda F., Scheidegger, Christoph
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2021
• Subjects: FOS Biological sciences; Lobaria pulmonaria; microsatallites; Conservation genetics; species distribution models; Symbiosis; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22fs; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.9zw3r22fs

Populations of species with large spatial distributions are shaped by complex forces that differ throughout their ranges. To maintain the genetic diversity of species, genepool-based subsets of widespread species must be considered in conservation assessments. In this study, the population genetics of the lichenized fungus Lobaria pulmonaria and its algal partner, Symbiochloris reticulata , were investigated to determine population structure, genetic diversity, and degree of congruency in eastern and western North America. Data loggers measuring temperature and humidity were deployed at selected populations in eastern North America to test for climatic adaptation. To better understand the role Pleistocene glaciations played in shaping population patterns, a North American, range-wide species distribution model was constructed and hindcast to 22,000 years before present and at 500-year time slices from then to the present. The presence of two gene pools with minimal admixture was supported, one in the Pacific ... : Methods Sample Collection and Data Logger Deployment A total of 19 sites and 369 individuals of L. pulmonaria were sampled across North America (Table 1). Twelve sites were in eastern North America, including one site in Newfoundland and 11 sites in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. Seven sites were in the Pacific Northwest, including along the coast and in the Cascade Mountains. At each site, small pieces of lichen material were taken from up to three individual thalli per tree, from a maximum of ten trees, for an optimal total of 30 individuals per site. However, some sites had too few individuals to reach the optimal sample size, in which case, small pieces were taken from all detected thalli. The total number of individuals sampled per location is provided in Table 1. HOBO U23 Pro v2 Temperature/Relative Humidity Data Loggers (ONSET, Bourne, Massachusetts, USA) were deployed at five sites. The devices logged temperature and humidity every 30 minutes for one year (November 15, 2015 – ...