Landscape genetics of Solidago virgaurea ecotypic populations in Yakushima Island, Japan

This study aims to address a scientific question about how environmental, geographic and temporal isolation mechanisms play roles in early stage of ecological speciation in Solidago virgaurea. The goldenrod is a common species in our study sites in Japan, and occurs in various environments where morphologically and physiologically differentiated ecotypic populations are maintained. In the Yakushima Island, southern part of the Japanese Archipelago, there is the world smallest Solidago taxon of S. minutissima in alpine vegetation, which diverged from lowland Solidago populations. We are interested in how the life traits such as plant size, reproductive efforts, flowering times as well as landscape mosaic in complex topography are having impacts on population isolation, to maintain the phenotypic diversity in Yakushima Island.

本研究旨在解答一项科学问题：环境、地理与时间隔离机制在毛果一枝黄花（Solidago virgaurea）生态物种形成的早期阶段发挥着何种作用。该一枝黄花属物种是日本研究样地的常见物种，广泛分布于多种生境中，这些生境维持了具有形态与生理分化的生态型种群。在日本列岛南部的屋久岛（Yakushima Island）的高山植被中，存在着全球体型最小的一枝黄花属类群——小形一枝黄花（S. minutissima），该类群由低地一枝黄花种群分化而来。我们旨在探究植株大小、繁殖投入、开花时间等生活史性状，以及复杂地形下的景观镶嵌格局如何作用于种群隔离过程，进而维持屋久岛的表型多样性。