Long-distance plant dispersal to North Atlantic islands:colonization routes and founder effect
Alsos, Inger Greve; Ehrich, Dorothee; Eidesen, Pernille Bronken; Solstad, Heidi Merethe; Westergaard, Kristine Bakke; Schonswetter, Peter; Tribsch, Andreas; Birkeland, Siri; Elven, Reidar; Brochmann, Christian
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Date
2015Metadata
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Abstract
Long-distance dispersal (LDD) processes influence the founder effect on islands.We use genetic data for
25 Atlantic species and similarities among regional floras to analyse colonization, and test whether the genetic founder
effect on five islands is associated with dispersal distance, island size and species traits. Most species colonized
postglacially via multiple dispersal events from several source regions situated 280 to .3000 km away, and often not
from the closest ones. A strong founder effect was observed for insect-pollinated mixed maters, and it increased with
dispersal distance and decreased with island size in accordance with the theory of island biogeography. Only a minor
founder effect was observed for wind-pollinated outcrossing species. Colonization patterns were largely congruent,
indicating that despite the importance of stochasticity, LDD is mainly determined by common factors, probably dispersal
vectors. Our findings caution against a priori assuming a single, close source region in biogeographic analyses.
Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP); dispersal vector; founder effect; genetic diversity;
islands; long-distance dispersal (LDD); postglacial; species traits.