Contrasting colonization patterns of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans (L.) L.) gene pools along the Mexican coasts

Aim: Historical and geological events can impact the genetic structure of species, producing signatures that vary among taxa and gene pools within taxa. Such signatures can also be affected by local geography and tolerance to environmental conditions. However, disentangling of different drivers of population structure is often difficult. In an attempt to do so, we surveyed two independent gene pools of the same species that followed similar paths of postglacial colonization across contrasting landscapes and environmental conditions. We aimed to determine how these differences have affected the post-glacial population dynamics of each gene pool.
Location: The Pacific and Atlantic coasts of Mexico.
Taxon: Black mangrove, Avicennia germinans (Avicenniaceae).
Methods: Using microsatellite variation, we estimated the divergence time of black mangrove populations through Approximated Bayesian Computation and implemented a comparative approach to evaluate different demographic hypotheses w...