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Kiełtyk P. Elevational variation in morphology and biomass allocation in carpathian snowbell Soldanella carpatica (Primulaceae). PeerJ 2024; 12:e17500. [PMID: 38827286 PMCID: PMC11141553 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2024] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Plants growing along wide elevation gradients in mountains experience considerable variations in environmental factors that vary across elevations. The most pronounced elevational changes are in climate conditions with characteristic decrease in air temperature with an increase in elevation. Studying intraspecific elevational variations in plant morphological traits and biomass allocation gives opportunity to understand how plants adapted to steep environmental gradients that change with elevation and how they may respond to climate changes related to global warming. In this study, phenotypic variation of an alpine plant Soldanella carpatica Vierh. (Primulaceae) was investigated on 40 sites distributed continuously across a 1,480-m elevation gradient in the Tatra Mountains, Central Europe. Mixed-effects models, by which plant traits were fitted to elevation, revealed that on most part of the gradient total leaf mass, leaf size and scape height decreased gradually with an increase in elevation, whereas dry mass investment in roots and flowers as well as individual flower mass did not vary with elevation. Unexpectedly, in the uppermost part of the elevation gradient overall plant size, including both below-and aboveground plant parts, decreased rapidly causing abrupt plant miniaturization. Despite the plant miniaturization at the highest elevations, biomass partitioning traits changed gradually across the entire species elevation range, namely, the leaf mass fraction decreased continuously, whereas the flower mass fraction and the root:shoot ratio increased steadily from the lowest to the highest elevations. Observed variations in S. carpatica phenotypes are seen as structural adjustments to environmental changes across elevations that increase chances of plant survival and reproduction at different elevations. Moreover, results of the present study agreed with the observations that populations of species from the 'Soldanella' intrageneric group adapted to alpine and subnival zones still maintain typical 'Soldanella'-like appearance, despite considerable reduction in overall plant size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Kiełtyk
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
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Rurik I, Melichárková A, Gbúrová Štubová E, Kučera J, Kochjarová J, Paun O, Vďačný P, Slovák M. Homoplastic versus xenoplastic evolution: exploring the emergence of key intrinsic and extrinsic traits in the montane genus Soldanella (Primulaceae). THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2024; 118:753-765. [PMID: 38217489 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2024]
Abstract
Specific ecological conditions in the high mountain environment exert a selective pressure that often leads to convergent trait evolution. Reticulations induced by incomplete lineage sorting and introgression can lead to discordant trait patterns among gene and species trees (hemiplasy/xenoplasy), providing a false illusion that the traits under study are homoplastic. Using phylogenetic species networks, we explored the effect of gene exchange on trait evolution in Soldanella, a genus profoundly influenced by historical introgression. At least three features evolved independently multiple times: the single-flowered dwarf phenotype, dysploid cytotype, and ecological generalism. The present analyses also indicated that the recurring occurrence of stoloniferous growth might have been prompted by an introgression event between an ancestral lineage and a still extant species, although its emergence via convergent evolution cannot be completely ruled out. Phylogenetic regression suggested that the independent evolution of larger genomes in snowbells is most likely a result of the interplay between hybridization events of dysploid and euploid taxa and hostile environments at the range margins of the genus. The emergence of key intrinsic and extrinsic traits in snowbells has been significantly impacted not only by convergent evolution but also by historical and recent introgression events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Rurik
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Andrea Melichárková
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Eliška Gbúrová Štubová
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Slovak National Museum, Natural History Museum, Vajanského nábrežie 2, 810 06, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jaromír Kučera
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Judita Kochjarová
- Department of Phytology, Faculty of Forestry, Technical University Zvolen, Masarykova 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovak Republic
| | - Ovidiu Paun
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Peter Vďačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University Bratislava, Ilkovičova 6, 842 15, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Marek Slovák
- Institute of Botany, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 23, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Benátská 2, 128 01, Prague, Czech Republic
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Slovák M, Melichárková A, Štubňová EG, Kučera J, Mandáková T, Smyčka J, Lavergne S, Passalacqua NG, Vďačný P, Paun O. Pervasive Introgression During Rapid Diversification of the European Mountain Genus Soldanella (L.) (Primulaceae). Syst Biol 2023; 72:491-504. [PMID: 36331548 PMCID: PMC10276626 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Hybridization is a key mechanism involved in lineage diversification and speciation, especially in ecosystems that experienced repeated environmental oscillations. Recently radiated plant groups, which have evolved in mountain ecosystems impacted by historical climate change provide an excellent model system for studying the impact of gene flow on speciation. We combined organellar (whole-plastome) and nuclear genomic data (RAD-seq) with a cytogenetic approach (rDNA FISH) to investigate the effects of hybridization and introgression on evolution and speciation in the genus Soldanella (snowbells, Primulaceae). Pervasive introgression has already occurred among ancestral lineages of snowbells and has persisted throughout the entire evolutionary history of the genus, regardless of the ecology, cytotype, or distribution range size of the affected species. The highest extent of introgression has been detected in the Carpathian species, which is also reflected in their extensive karyotype variation. Introgression occurred even between species with dysploid and euploid cytotypes, which were considered to be reproductively isolated. The magnitude of introgression detected in snowbells is unprecedented in other mountain genera of the European Alpine System investigated hitherto. Our study stresses the prominent evolutionary role of hybridization in facilitating speciation and diversification on the one hand, but also enriching previously isolated genetic pools. [chloroplast capture; diversification; dysploidy; European Alpine system; introgression; nuclear-cytoplasmic discordance; ribosomal DNA.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Marek Slovák
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Andrea Melichárková
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Eliška Gbúrová Štubňová
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
- Slovak National Museum, Natural History Museum, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Jaromír Kučera
- Department of Evolution and Systematics, Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Terezie Mandáková
- Central European Institute of Technology, Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kamenice 753/5, CZ-625 00 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Smyčka
- Department of Botany, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Center for Theoretical Study, Charles University and the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Jilská 1, 110 00 Praha, Czech Republic
- Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Sébastien Lavergne
- Université Grenoble Alpes, University of Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | | | - Peter Vďačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Ovidiu Paun
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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Spampinato G, Tomaselli V, Forte L, Strumia S, Stinca A, Croce A, Fascetti S, Rosati L, Di Pietro R, Mantino F, Laface VLA, Musarella CM. Relevant but neglected habitat types by the Directive 92/43 EEC in southern Italy. RENDICONTI LINCEI. SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s12210-023-01136-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is the main European Union legal tool concerning nature conservation. The habitat types listed in Annex I to the Directive are phytosociology-based. It is widely acknowledged that phytosociological analysis is a crucial approach for habitats characterization and for monitoring their conservation status. Based on bibliographic investigations and new field survey campaigns, a list of habitat types neglected by the Habitats Directive is here presented and described for southern Italy. In this paper, 8 new habitat types and 13 subtypes are proposed. For each of these proposed new habitat types, a wide range of information, including ecology, chorology, species composition, syntaxonomy, threats, and conservation status, is here provided. To supply more detailed phytogeographical and coenological information about the proposed new habitat types, distribution maps based on 10 × 10 km reference grids and phytosociological tables including unpublished relevés were carried out.
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Innangi M, Friščić M, Hazler Pilepić K, Danise T, Conti F, Bartolucci F, Fioretto A, Peruzzi L. Explaining Intricate Morphometric Variability with Environmental Predictors: The Case of Globularia cordifolia Species Complex. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2020; 9:E314. [PMID: 32138221 PMCID: PMC7154870 DOI: 10.3390/plants9030314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Globularia is a genus of small evergreen and perennial shrubs that are widespread in Europe. Globularia section Empetron includes a group of three species, G. cordifolia, G. meridionalis, and G. neapolitana, that have been taxonomically disputed for more than 150 years. Many morphological features have been proposed to discriminate these species. Nevertheless, evidence from both past and recent literature suggest that these differences among species are not consistent. In order to shed new light in this long-disputed group, we investigated 10 populations of the G. cordifolia species complex with both classical and geometric morphometrics and used environmental predictors in multivariate regression to explain patterns of variation. Our results showed that bract area and calyx teeth length are correlated with solar radiation and annual precipitation, whereas leaf dry mass per unit area can be explained by temperature seasonality. Leaf shape can be explained by temperature seasonality as well, although with a lower amount of explanatory and predictive power. Despite a comparatively low sample size in terms of populations, our results were based on a large number of individuals and were supported by a robust statistical approach. We can conclude that differences among the three species of Globularia could be related to the combined effects of several ecological variables and might not have taxonomical value. Our novel approach provided an ecological interpretation on a species complex that makes up a continuum of forms within the environmental framework of the Mediterranean basin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Innangi
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Maja Friščić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Kroata Hazler Pilepić
- Department of Pharmaceutical Botany, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, University of Zagreb, Schrottova 39, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia; (M.F.); (K.H.P.)
| | - Tiziana Danise
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Fabio Conti
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Fabrizio Bartolucci
- Floristic Research Center of the Apennines, University of Camerino—Gran Sasso-Laga National Park, San Colombo, 67021 Barisciano (L’Aquiila), Italy; (F.C.); (F.B.)
| | - Antonietta Fioretto
- Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy; (T.D.); (A.F.)
| | - Lorenzo Peruzzi
- Department of Biology—Botany Unit, University of Pisa, Via Derna 11, 56126 Pisa, Italy;
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Ecology and species distribution pattern of Soldanella sect. Soldanella (Primulaceae) within vegetation types in the Carpathians and the adjacent mountains. Biologia (Bratisl) 2019. [DOI: 10.2478/s11756-019-00200-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Tkach N, Röser M, Suchan T, Cieślak E, Schönswetter P, Ronikier M. Contrasting evolutionary origins of two mountain endemics: Saxifraga wahlenbergii (Western Carpathians) and S. styriaca (Eastern Alps). BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:18. [PMID: 30634910 PMCID: PMC6329101 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1355-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Carpathians and the Alps are the largest mountain ranges of the European Alpine System and important centres of endemism. Among the distinctive endemic species of this area is Saxifraga wahlenbergii, a Western Carpathians member of the speciose genus Saxifraga. It was frequently considered a taxonomically isolated Tertiary palaeopolyploid and palaeoendemic, for which the closest relatives could not yet be traced. A recently described narrow endemic of the Eastern Alps, S. styriaca, was hypothesized to be closely related to S. wahlenbergii based on shared presence of peculiar glandular hairs. To elucidate the origin and phylogenetic relationships of both species we studied nuclear and plastid DNA markers based on multiple accessions and analysed the data in a wide taxonomic context. We applied Sanger sequencing, followed by targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) for a refined analysis of nrITS variants to detect signatures of ancient hybridization. The ITS data were used to estimate divergence times of different lineages using a relaxed molecular clock. RESULTS We demonstrate divergent evolutionary histories for the two mountain endemics. For S. wahlenbergii we revealed a complicated hybrid origin. Its maternal parent belongs to a Western Eurasian lineage of high mountain taxa grouped in subsect. Androsaceae and is most likely the widespread S. androsacea. The putative second parent was most likely S. adscendens, which belongs to the distantly related subsect. Tridactylites. While Sanger sequencing of nrITS only showed S. adscendens-related variants in S. wahlenbergii, our NGS screening revealed presence of sequences from both lineages with clear predominance of the paternal over the maternal lineage. CONCLUSIONS Saxifraga styriaca was unambiguously assigned to subsect. Androsaceae and is not the sister taxon of S. wahlenbergii. Accordingly, the similarity of the glandular hairs observed in both taxa rests on parallelism and both species do not constitute an example of a close evolutionary link between the floras of the Western Carpathians and Eastern Alps. With the origin of its paternal, S. adscendens-like ITS DNA estimated to ca. 4.7 Ma, S. wahlenbergii is not a relict of the mid-Tertiary climate optimum. Its hybrid origin is much younger and most likely took place in the Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Tkach
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Neuwerk 21, 06108 Halle, Germany
| | - Martin Röser
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Neuwerk 21, 06108 Halle, Germany
| | - Tomasz Suchan
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Krakow, Poland
| | - Elżbieta Cieślak
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Krakow, Poland
| | - Peter Schönswetter
- Department of Botany, University of Innsbruck, Sternwartestraße 15, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Michał Ronikier
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, 31-512, Krakow, Poland
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Štubňová E, Hodálová I, Kučera J, Mártonfiová L, Svitok M, Slovák M. Karyological patterns in the European endemic genus Soldanella L.: Absolute genome size variation uncorrelated with cytotype chromosome numbers. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2017; 104:1241-1253. [PMID: 28790087 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.1700153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Accepted: 05/23/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE OF THE STUDY Detailed knowledge about the karyological diversity of organisms undoubtedly represents one of the crucial steps toward a better understanding of their evolutionary trends and history. We investigated the cytotype and absolute genome size (AGS) patterns in the European mountain-dwelling genus Soldanella (Primulaceae) in light of its geographic distribution and ecological diversification. METHODS Our chromosome number survey was based on 34 newly determined and 125 previously published chromosome counts. AGS was estimated on the basis of propidium iodide (PI) flow cytometry (299 individuals, 110 populations). KEY RESULTS We confirmed the existence of two cytotypes with the same ploidy level, i.e., euploid 2n = 40 and dysploid 2n = 38. The overall infrageneric AGS variation ranged between 2.97 and 3.99 pg (25.6% variation). The 2n = 40 cytotype harbors a modest amount of continuous AGS variation. With regard to its distribution area and ecology, the cytotype is ubiquitous. By contrast, the 2n = 38 cytotype was detected only in six forest-dwelling taxa with AGS variation segregated into three discrete, geographically separated groups. The AGS variation of the 2n = 38 cytotype was strongly correlated with elevation and longitude. CONCLUSIONS Despite the apparent morphological and ecological variation, members of the genus Soldanella have not undergone any pronounced cytotype and AGS diversification during their evolutionary history. The lack of correlation between chromosome numbers and AGS indicates that the evolutionary mechanism behind the origin of the dysploid cytotype 2n = 38 was a chromosomal fusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliška Štubňová
- Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Iva Hodálová
- Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Jaromír Kučera
- Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Lenka Mártonfiová
- Pavol Jozef Šafárik University, Botanical Garden, Mánesova 23, SK-04352 Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Marek Svitok
- Technical University, Faculty of Ecology, T. G. Masaryka 2117/24, SK-96053 Zvolen, Slovak Republic
| | - Marek Slovák
- Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre, Institute of Botany, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, SK-84523 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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Levin DA, Scarpino SV. On the young age of intraspecific herbaceous taxa. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2017; 213:1513-1520. [PMID: 27726173 DOI: 10.1111/nph.14224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/30/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Dated phylogenies rarely include the divergence times of sister intraspecific taxa, and when they do little is said about this subject. We show that over 90% of the intraspecific plant taxa found in a literature search are estimated to be 5 million yr old or younger, with only 4% of taxa estimated to be over 10 million yr old or older. A Bayesian analysis of intraspecific taxon ages indicates that indeed these taxa are expected to be < 10 million yr old. This result for the young age of intraspecific taxa is consistent with the earlier observation that post-pollination reproductive barriers develop between 5 and 10 million yr after lineage splitting, thus leading to species formation. If lineages have not graduated to the species level of divergence by 10 million yr or so, they are likely to have gone extinct by that time as a result of narrow geographical distributions, narrow niche breadths, and relatively small numbers across populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donald A Levin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78713, USA
| | - Samuel V Scarpino
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
- Complex Systems Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05401, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
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Mráz P, Ronikier M. Biogeography of the Carpathians: evolutionary and spatial facets of biodiversity. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Mráz
- Herbarium and Department of Botany; Charles University; Benátská 2 12801 Prague Czech Republic
| | - Michał Ronikier
- W. Szafer Institute of Botany; Polish Academy of Sciences; Lubicz 46 31-512 Kraków Poland
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