Microsatellite data for modern and historical lingonberry in northeastern Minnesota

Partially clonal species are subject to the same evolutionary forces experienced by obligately sexual species, but the variety of potential responses at the population level is much more diverse, ranging from inbreeding to a loss of sexual reproduction. These responses have different genetic outcomes and can interact with each other and other species-level characteristics, such as dispersal and lifespan, to influence the genotypic and genetic diversity of populations through time and across a species range. In this study, we compared the historical and modern population genetics of Vaccinium vitis-idaea (lingonberry) samples from a warm range edge region of the species’ circumboreal distribution. Using 18 polymorphic microsatellite loci in 261 historical and modern samples, we answered three questions: 1) Has genetic diversity been lost through the last six decades?, 2) Do modern populations show signs isolation or low differentiation?, and 3) What are the genotypic and genetic signals of clonality in modern populations? Lingonberry currently appears to be genetically robust at a warm range edge. This study also reveals the variety of reproductive strategies a partially clonal species and can display within a small area, and lays the groundwork for long-term monitoring of geographically proximate populations with vastly different levels of clonal vs. sexual reproduction in region experiencing significant warming.