The role of anthropogenic dispersal in shaping the distribution and genetic composition of a widespread North American tree species.

ABSTRACT: Dispersal and colonization are among the most important ecological processes for species persistence as they allow species to track changing environmental conditions. During the last glacial maximum (LGM), many cold-intolerant Northern Hemisphere plants retreated to southern glacial refugia. During subsequent warming periods, these species expanded their ranges northward. Interestingly, some tree species with limited seed dispersal migrated considerable distances after the LGM ~19,000 years before present (YBP). It has been hypothesized that indigenous peoples may have dispersed valued species, in some cases beyond the southern limits of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. To investigate this question, we employed a molecular genetics approach on a widespread North American understory tree species w

SUBMITTER: Wyatt GE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8366864 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature