Data from: Postglacial recolonization history of the European crabapple (Malus sylvestris Mill.), a wild contributor to the domesticated apple

Understanding the way in which the climatic oscillations of the Quaternary
Period have shaped the distribution and genetic structure of extant tree
species provides insight into the processes driving species
diversification, distribution and survival. Deciphering the genetic
consequences of past climatic change is also critical for the conservation
and sustainable management of forest and tree genetic resources, a timely
endeavour as the Earth heads into a period of fast climate change. We used
a combination of genetic data and ecological niche models to investigate
the historical patterns of biogeographic range expansion of a wild fruit
tree, the European crabapple (Malus sylvestris), a wild contributor to the
domesticated apple. Both climatic predictions for the last glacial maximum
and analyses of microsatellite variation indicated that M. sylvestris
experienced range contraction and fragmentation. Bayesian clustering
analyses revealed a clear pattern of genetic structure, with one genetic
cluster spanning a large area in Western Europe and two other genetic
clusters with a more limited distribution range in Eastern Europe, one
around the Carpathian Mountains and the other restricted to the Balkan
Peninsula. Approximate Bayesian computation appeared to be a powerful
technique for inferring the history of these clusters, supporting a
scenario of simultaneous differentiation of three separate glacial
refugia. Admixture between these three populations was found in their
suture zones. A weak isolation by distance pattern was detected within
each population, indicating a high extent of historical gene flow for the
European crabapple.