Range and niche expansion through multiple interspecific hybridization - a Genotyping by Sequencing analysis of Cherleria (Caryophyllaceae)

Cherleria (Caryophyllaceae) is a circumboreal genus with additional diversity in the high mountains of the northern hemisphere. In this study, we focus on a clade that diversified in the European High Mountains, which was identified using nuclear ribosomal (nrDNA) sequence data in a previous study. In this study, we use genotyping by sequencing (GBS) data to determine whether the nrDNA data showed the full picture of what was going on in the genomes of these species. The overall relationships found with the GBS data were congruent with those from the nrDNA study. In addition, the GBS data provided evidence for significant hybridization between various lineages, including those that were not currently growing in the same place.