Abstract
Kleinia neriifolia Haw. is an endemic species on the Canarian archipelago, this species is widespread in the coastal thicket of all the Canarian islands. In the present study, genetic diversity and population structure of K. neriifolia were investigated using chloroplast gene sequences and nuclear SSR (simple sequence repeat). The differentiation among island populations, the historical demography, and the underlying evolutionary scenarios of this species are further tested based on the genetic data. Chloroplast diversity reveals a strong genetic divergence between eastern islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote) and western islands (EI Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife), this west–east genetic divergence may reflect a very beginning of speciation. The evolutionary scenario with highest posterior probabilities suggests Gran Canaria as oldest population with a westward colonization path to Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and EI Hierro, and eastward dispersal path to Lanzarote through Fuerteventura. In the western islands, there is a slight decrease in the effective population size toward areas of recent colonization. However, in the eastern islands, the effective population size increase in Lanzarote relative to Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura. These results further our understanding of the evolution of widespread endemic plants within Canarian archipelago.
Highlights
Most of the ocean islands are of volcanic origin and do not have any terrestrial life initially (Cox and Moore, 2010; Fernández-Mazuecos and Vargas, 2011)
A Bayesian approach to phylogeny-based island biogeography suggest the three “central” island (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and La Gomera) as the diversification and dispersal centers in the Canarian archipelago (Sanmartín et al, 2008), an east–west decreasing genetic diversity gradient is supported by a metaanalysis which indicate that the eastern islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, and Gran Canaria) have higher allozyme diversity than that of the western islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, and EI Hierro) (Caujape-Castells, 2011)
Chloroplast diversity reveals a strong genetic divergence between eastern islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, and Lanzarote) and western islands (EI Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, and Tenerife), which is partially congruent with the pattern of nuclear genetic diversity
Summary
Most of the ocean islands are of volcanic origin and do not have any terrestrial life initially (Cox and Moore, 2010; Fernández-Mazuecos and Vargas, 2011). Due to spatial isolation and temporal limits, oceanic archipelagos provide ideal system to study evolutionary process involved in population differentiation and speciation (Juan et al, 2000; Fernández-Mazuecos and Vargas, 2011). Inter-island dispersal has been suggested as the main driver of diversification for plant taxa on the Canary Islands (Böhle et al, 1996; Francisco-Ortega et al, 1996; Sanmartín et al, 2008), few studies have been carried out to investigate the evolutionary history of populations in widespread endemic plants on the Canary Islands, except for some cases focused on the conservation of extremely endangered species. More population genetic studies on the widespread endemic species are needed to further understand the pattern and process of intra-archipelago diversification of the Canarian endemic plants
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