Abstract
In Central Europe, salt-influenced habitats are restricted mainly to the coastlines of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The few natural inland salt sites suffer from size reduction and loss in biodiversity, while anthropogenic salt sites around potash mining dumps experienced recent and massive de novo colonization by numerous halophytes. Our study aimed to elucidate the general patterns of gene flow among coastal and inland salt habitats. We used amplified fragment length polymorphisms to assess the genetic diversity and genetic structure of 18 European populations of the halophyte Spergularia media (Caryophyllaceae), sampled from inland and coastal salt sites of Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, France and Italy. Estimates of genetic diversity on the population level were generally low, especially within inland salt habitats. Analyses of molecular variance showed comparatively strong differentiation among populations. Multivariate ordination (principal coordinate analysis) and a NeighborNet analysis revealed four distinct groups of populations that showed good correspondence to their geographic origins. A Bayesian analysis performed with the program Structure as well as high pairwise Φ ST values supported the results of the phenetic analyses. The observed patterns of diversity and differentiation among inland populations of S. media are best explained by the isolated nature of suitable salt habitats, with concomitant reduction of gene flow to and among these sites. Our data support the hypothesis that the colonization of anthropogenic salt sites by S. media originated from natural inland habitats.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Population genetic diversity of Spergularia media was generally low, especially in inland salt habitats.
- Taxon
- Spergularia media
Spergularia mediae1 - Outcome
- genetic diversitye0
- Direction
- generally lowe0
- Setting
- inland salt habitatse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Estimates of genetic diversity on the population level were generally low, especially within inland salt habitats.”
e1“Spergularia media (Caryophyllaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Spergularia media populations showed comparatively strong differentiation.
- Taxon
- Spergularia mediaSpergularia mediae1
- Outcome
- differentiation among populationse0
- Direction
- comparatively stronge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Analyses of molecular variance showed comparatively strong differentiation among populations.”
e1“Spergularia media (Caryophyllaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
Ordination and NeighborNet analysis identified four population groups corresponding to geographic origins.
- Taxon
- Spergularia mediaSpergularia mediae1
- Outcome
- groups of populationse0
- Value
- foure0
- Qualifier
- good correspondence to their geographic originse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“revealed four distinct groups of populations that showed good correspondence to their geographic origins”
e1“Spergularia media (Caryophyllaceae)”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors interpret inland diversity and differentiation as consequences of isolated salt habitats and reduced gene flow.
- Taxon
- S. mediaSpergularia mediae0
- Outcome
- patterns of diversity and differentiatione0
- Qualifier
- isolated nature of suitable salt habitats, with concomitant reduction of gene flowe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“patterns of diversity and differentiation among inland populations of S. media are best explained by the isolated nature of suitable salt habitats, with concomitant reduction of gene flow to and among these sites”
Claim · model-written summary
The data support colonization of anthropogenic salt sites by S. media from natural inland habitats.
- Taxon
- S. mediaSpergularia mediae0
- Outcome
- colonization of anthropogenic salt sitese0
- Setting
- natural inland habitatse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“colonization of anthropogenic salt sites by S. media originated from natural inland habitats”