Abstract Detail

Population Genetics/Genomics

Dellinger, Agnes [1], Paun, Ovidiu [2], Juliane, Baar [3], Eva, Temsch [3], Diana, Fernández-Fernández [4], Jürg, Schönenberger [5].

Pollinators drive population structure in Neotropical plants .

Animal pollinators mediate gene flow between plant populations and play a key role in shaping spatial differentiation and mating patterns. Investigating whether distinct pollinators drive individual microevolutionary histories is crucial for understanding macroevolutionary patterns of plant speciation. Few studies have, however, attempted to compare population genetic structure among closely related plant species with different pollination strategies. Here, we used six species in the Neotropical tribe Merianieae to test the hypothesis that highly mobile, large (vertebrate) pollinators more effectively link isolated populations than less mobile, small (bee) pollinators. We used genomic analyses based on genotype likelihoods for 424 individuals across 33 sampling localities to estimate population genomic parameters and test for population differentiation across space. We found significantly higher population genetic differentiation (F_ST) in bee-pollinated than in vertebrate-pollinated populations at large geographic scales. Within populations and at small geographic scales, bees were effective pollen dispersers, maintaining high diversity and low inbreeding. In contrast to expectations, we did not find evidence for stronger population differentiation in montane compared to lowland bee-pollinated populations. We interpret our results in the context of macroevolutionary patterns of pollinator shifts and diversification found across different unrelated plant lineages.

1 - University of Vienna, Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, Vienna
2 - University Of Vienna , Department Of Botany And Biodiversity Research, Rennweg 14, Vienna, A-1030, Austria
3 - University of Vienna
4 - Instituto Naciona de Biodiversidad, Ecuador
5 - University Of Vienna, Department Of Botany And Biodiversity Research, Rennweg 14, Vienna, 9, AT-1030, Austria

Keywords:
pollinator shifts
Andes
population differentiation
Melastomataceae
diversification.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: PGG4, Population Genetics and Genomics IV
Location: /
Date: Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Time: 3:15 PM(EDT)
Number: PGG4002
Abstract ID:173
Candidate for Awards:Margaret Menzel Award