Phylogeography of a Tertiary relict plant, Meconopsis cambrica (Papaveraceae), implies the existence of northern refugia for a temperate herb

The perennial herb Meconopsis cambrica, a western European endemic, is the only European species of the otherwise Himalayan genus Meconopsis and has been interpreted as a Tertiary relict species. Using rbcL and ITS sequence variation, we date the split between M. cambrica and its sister clade Papaver s.str. to the Middle to Upper Miocene (12.8 My, 6.4-19.2 My HPD). Within M. cambrica, cpDNA sequence variation reveals the existence of two groups of populations with a comparable level of genetic variation: a northern group from Great Britain, the Massif Central, the western Pyrenees and the Iberian System, and a southern group from the central and eastern Pyrenees. Populations from the Cantabrian Mountains were found in both groups. Based on ITS sequence variation, the divergence between these two groups can be dated to 1.5 My (0.4-2.8 My HPD), and the age of the British populations is estimated as 0.37 My (0.0-0.9 My HPD). AFLP results confirm the distinctive nature of the populations fr...西欧特有多年生草本植物威尔士绿绒蒿（Meconopsis cambrica），是仅分布于欧洲的绿绒蒿属（Meconopsis）物种——该属其余类群主产于喜马拉雅地区，且该物种被视为第三纪孑遗物种。依托核酮糖二磷酸羧化酶大亚基（rbcL）与内转录间隔区（Internal Transcribed Spacer, ITS）序列变异数据，我们将威尔士绿绒蒿与其姊妹分支狭义罂粟属（Papaver s.str.）的分化时间定年至中新世中晚期（12.8百万年，95%最高后验密度（Highest Posterior Density, HPD）区间6.4-19.2百万年）。在威尔士绿绒蒿种群内部，叶绿体DNA（chloroplast DNA, cpDNA）序列变异分析显示存在两个遗传变异水平相当的种群组群：北部组群分布于大不列颠、法国中央高原、西比利牛斯山脉与伊比利亚山脉；南部组群分布于中东部比利牛斯山脉。坎塔布连山脉的种群同时隶属于这两个组群。依托内转录间隔区（ITS）序列变异数据，这两个组群的分化时间可定年至1.5百万年（95%最高后验密度区间0.4-2.8百万年），而大不列颠种群的起源时间估算为0.37百万年（95%最高后验密度区间0.0-0.9百万年）。扩增片段长度多态性（Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism, AFLP）分析结果证实了相关种群的独特性[原文后续内容截断]。