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No borders during the post‐glacial assembly of European bryophytes
Author(s) -
Ledent A.,
Désamoré A.,
Laenen B.,
Mardulyn P.,
McDaniel S. F.,
Zanatta F.,
Patiño J.,
Vanderpoorten A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.13254
Subject(s) - glacial period , last glacial maximum , bryophyte , ecology , biodiversity , divergence (linguistics) , coalescent theory , approximate bayesian computation , biology , land bridge , geography , biological dispersal , paleontology , phylogenetics , population , linguistics , philosophy , biochemistry , demography , sociology , gene
Climatic fluctuations during the Last Glacial Maximum ( LGM ) exerted a profound influence on biodiversity patterns, but their impact on bryophytes, the second most diverse group of land plants, has been poorly documented. Approximate Bayesian computations based on coalescent simulations showed that the post‐glacial assembly of European bryophytes involves a complex history from multiple sources. The contribution of allochthonous migrants was 95–100% of expanding populations in about half of the 15 investigated species, which is consistent with the globally balanced genetic diversities and extremely low divergence observed among biogeographical regions. Such a substantial contribution of allochthonous migrants in the post‐glacial assembly of Europe is unparalleled in other plants and animals. The limited role of northern micro‐refugia, which was unexpected based on bryophyte life‐history traits, and of southern refugia, is consistent with recent palaeontological evidence that LGM climates in Eurasia were much colder and drier than what palaeoclimatic models predict.