Wöhrmann et all. 2020 (Article) Fosterella

Strong genetic differentiation among populations of Fosterella rusbyi (Bromeliaceae) in Bolivia

Author(s):—T. Wöhrmann, I. Michalak, G. Zizka & K. Weising

Publication:—Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 192(4): 744-759. (2020)

Abstract:—The terrestrial bromeliad Fosterella rusbyi is endemic to the Bolivian Andes, where it mainly grows on steep, exposed slopes along roadsides and riverbeds in the seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF) and the mesic montane forest (Yungas) biomes. We hypothesize that allopatric speciation may have been a main driver of diversification in Fosterella since the Miocene and that the scattered distribution of suitable habitats fostered the evolution of the high degree of endemism observed today. To provide further information relating to this hypothesis, we analysed the partition of genetic diversity and the extent of gene flow among natural populations of F. rusbyi using plastid and nuclear microsatellite markers. Nineteen plastid haplotypes were found, but the mean haplotype diversity per population was low. Nuclear microsatellite markers revealed 177 different multilocus genotypes (MLGs), of which 31 occurred in …