Influences of landscape and pollinators on population genetic structure: Examples from three Penstemon (Plantaginaceae) species in the Great Basin

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PREMISE OF THE STUDY : Despite rapid growth in the fi eld of landscape genetics, our understanding of how landscape features interact with life history traits to infl uence population genetic structure in plant species remains limited. Here, we identify population genetic divergence in three species of Penstemon (Plantaginaceae) similarly distributed throughout the Great Basin region of the western United States but with different pollination syndromes (bee and hummingbird). The Great Basin ’ s mountainous landscape provides an ideal setting to compare the interaction of landscape and dispersal ability in isolating populations of different species. <br> METHODS : We used eight highly polymorphic microsatellite loci to identify neutral population genetic structure between populations within and among mountain ranges for eight populations of P. deustus , 10 populations of P. pachyphyllus , and 10 populations of P. rostrifl orus . We applied traditional population genetics approaches as well as spatial and landscape genetics approaches to infer genetic structure and discontinuities among populations. <br> KEY RESULTS : A ll three species had signifi cant genetic structure and exhibited isolation by distance, ranging from high structure and low inferred gene fl ow in the bee-pollinated species P. deustus ( F ST = 0.1330, R ST = 0.4076, seven genetic clusters identifi ed) and P. pachyphyllus ( F ST = 0.1896, R ST = 0.2531, four genetic clusters identifi ed) to much lower structure and higher inferred gene fl ow in the hummingbird-pollinated P. rostrifl orus ( F ST = 0.0638, R ST = 0.1116, three genetic clusters identifi ed). <br> CONCLUSIONS : These three Penstemon species have signifi cant yet strikingly different patterns of population genetic structure, fi ndings consistent with different interactions between landscape features and the dispersal capabilities of their pollinators. <br>

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Reference Code: A98KRA01IDUS <br>

Full Citation: Kramer, A.T., J.B. Fant, M.V. Ashley. 2011. Influences of landscape and pollinators on population genetic structure: Examples from three Penstemon (Plantaginaceae) species in the Great Basin. American Journal of Botany 98(1): 109–121 <br>

Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - BOTANY: MULTIPLE SPECIES <br>

Keywords: gene fl ow, landscape genetics, microsatellite, Penstemon, pollination syndrome, population genetic structure <br>