First evidence for allotriploid hybrids between Juniperus thurifera and J. sabina in a sympatric area in the French Alps

At Saint Crépin location (French Alps), where sympatry between the tetraploid Juniperus thurifera and the diploid Juniperus sabina occurs, three individuals with an atypical morphology, have been observed. AFLP markers were used to unravel hybridization and potential introgression events in this population. In total, 147 polymorphic loci remained after the process of peak selection. This dataset demonstrates hybrids originated from a cross between J. sabina and J. thurifera and suggests that back-cross at least to J. thurifera is possible. This study shed light on a rare case of hybridization of two Juniperus species with different ploidy levels in natural sympatric population.