Microsatellite data from: Multiple colonizations and genetic differentiation from the mainland populations in insular populations of the perennial herb Solidago virgaurea complex (Asteraceae) on recently formed nearshore oceanic islands

Aim: Although the evolution of island endemic plants has long been investigated, the majority of such studies have focused on species with remarkable levels of morphological variation and on islands substantially far from the mainland. Except for a few examples such as the Canary Islands, endemic plants on nearshore oceanic islands have received less attention. In this study, we examined the Solidago virgaurea complex on the Japanese mainland Honshu and the adjacent Izu Islands to investigate the population genetic structure and dynamics in plants endemic to nearshore and recently formed oceanic islands.

Location: Japanese mainland Honshu and the adjacent Izu Islands

Taxon: Solidago virgaurea (Asteraceae)

Methods: Sixteen and nine populations of S. virgaurea complex were sampled from the mainland and islands, respectively; phylogeographic and population genetics analyses were performed using plastid DNA and nuclear microsatellite DNA variations.

Results: Phylogenetically clo...