title: A new scenario for the quaternary history of European beech populations: palaeobotanical evidence and genetic consequences.
abstract: Here, palaeobotanical and genetic data for common beech (Fagus sylvatica) in Europe are used to evaluate the genetic consequences of long-term survival in refuge areas and postglacial spread. Four large datasets are presented, including over 400 fossil-pollen sites, 80 plant-macrofossil sites, and 450 and 600 modern beech populations for chloroplast and nuclear markers, respectively. The largely complementary palaeobotanical and genetic data indicate that: (i) beech survived the last glacial period in multiple refuge areas; (ii) the central European refugia were separated from the Mediterranean refugia; (iii) the Mediterranean refuges did not contribute to the colonization of central and northern Europe; (iv) some populations expanded considerably during the postglacial period, while others experienced only a limited expansion; (v) the mountain chains were not geographical barriers for beech but rather facilitated its diffusion; and (vi) the modern genetic diversity was shaped over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. This scenario differs from many recent treatments of tree phylogeography in Europe that largely focus on the last ice age and the postglacial period to interpret genetic structure and argue that the southern peninsulas (Iberian, Italian and Balkan) were the main source areas for trees in central and northern Europe.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Biologia Vegetale, Università La Sapienza, P. le Aldo Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy. donatella.magri@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Magri
authors.forename: Giovanni G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Vendramin
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Comps
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dupanloup
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Geburek
authors.forename: Dusan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gömöry
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Latałowa
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Litt
authors.forename: Ladislav
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paule
authors.forename: Joan Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Roure
authors.forename: Ioan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tantau
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: van der Knaap
authors.forename: Rémy J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Petit
authors.forename: Jacques-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: de Beaulieu
mesh_terms: D002980:Climate; D018742:DNA, Chloroplast / Q000032:analysis; D005060:Europe; D029964:Fagus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005580:Fossils; D005819:Genetic Markers; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005843:Geography; D006239:Haplotypes; D011058:Pollen / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D018742:DNA, Chloroplast; D005819:Genetic Markers