Glacial refugia: hotspots but not melting pots of genetic diversity.
Glacial refuge areas are expected to harbor a large fraction of the intraspecific biodiversity of the temperate biota. To test this hypothesis, we studied chloroplast DNA variation in 22 widespread European trees and shrubs sampled in the same forests. Most species had genetically divergent populations in Mediterranean regions, especially those with low seed dispersal abilities. However, the genetically most diverse populations were not located in the south but at intermediate latitudes, a likely consequence of the admixture of divergent lineages colonizing the continent from separate refugia.
Petit
Rémy  J
R
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, UMR Biodiversité, Génes et Ecosystémes, F-33612 Cestas, France. petit@pierroton.inra.fr
Aguinagalde
Itziar
I
de Beaulieu
Jacques-Louis
JL
Bittkau
Christiane
C
Brewer
Simon
S
Cheddadi
Rachid
R
Ennos
Richard
R
Fineschi
Silvia
S
Grivet
Delphine
D
Lascoux
Martin
M
Mohanty
Aparajita
A
Müller-Starck
Gerhard
G
Demesure-Musch
Brigitte
B
Palmé
Anna
A
Martín
Juan Pedro
JP
Rendell
Sarah
S
Vendramin
Giovanni G
GG
D018742:DNA, Chloroplast / Q000235:genetics*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005060:Europe; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000235:genetics*; D012639:Seeds; D013696:Temperature; D014197:Trees / Q000235:genetics*
D018742:DNA, Chloroplast