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Intraspecific genetic consequences of Pleistocene climate change on Lupinus microphyllus (Fabaceae) in the Andes

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Abstract

The role of Pleistocene climate change in shaping patterns of genetic and species diversity has been widely demonstrated. However, tropical mountains remain less explored. In the northern Andes, distributional shifts of the vegetation during the Pleistocene are believed to have promoted plant diversification. In this regard, the role of gene flow and geographic isolation has been intensively debated. Here, we use a population genetic approach, microsatellite markers, and Bayesian statistics to assess the impact of Pleistocene climate change on intraspecific patterns of gene flow and genetic variation, and on the demographic history of the populations. We study Lupinus microphyllus, which belongs to a clade of Andean Lupinus species that has emerged as a model group in studies of plant diversification. We detect signatures of historical gene flow and negligible contemporary gene flow between populations. We find very low within-population genetic diversity and signals of an ancient decline in population size that may be lasting until today. We conclude that, in spite of periods of increased connectivity and gene flow, intraspecific genetic differentiation is mainly driven by periods of geographic isolation, restricted gene flow, and genetic drift. The intraspecific genetic pattern of high-elevation Andean plant species has been also shaped by local environmental factors, such as volcanic activity or glacier coverage, and by species-specific traits, such as the reproductive and dispersal strategies.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Modified from Carvalho-Mondin et al. (2018). Na effective size of the ancestral population, Nnumber effective size of present population, Nd effective population size during bottleneck, Ne effective population size expansion, tnumber time in generations

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Lenka Flašková for laboratory assistance, and to Jan Brotánek and José David Vásquez for help with fieldwork. Also, thanks to Guillaume Wos for helpful discussions and to three anonymous reviewers for very constructive comments. Diana L. A. Vásquez thanks her mom for taking care of her children while she was working on this manuscript.

Funding

This study was funded by the Czech Science Foundation (project 206/07/0273 and project 20-10878S) and the long-term research development project No. RVO 67985939 of the Czech Academy of Sciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Plant Biology, Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Zámek 1, Průhonice, Czech Republic

    Diana L. A. Vásquez & Roswitha Schmickl

  2. Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, Building 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark

    Michael Møller Hansen & Henrik Balslev

  3. Department of Botany, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01, Prague 2, Czech Republic

    Roswitha Schmickl

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  1. Diana L. A. Vásquez
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  2. Michael Møller Hansen
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  3. Henrik Balslev
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  4. Roswitha Schmickl
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Contributions

The conception and design of the study was led by DLAV, with remarkable support from HB and RS. The collection of plant material and the laboratory work were performed by DLAV. The statistical analyses were done by DLAV and MMH. The first draft of the manuscript was written by DLAV and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Diana L. A. Vásquez.

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Vásquez, D.L.A., Hansen, M.M., Balslev, H. et al. Intraspecific genetic consequences of Pleistocene climate change on Lupinus microphyllus (Fabaceae) in the Andes. Alp Botany 132, 273–284 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-022-00276-z

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