Genomic data from two species of hickory trees suggests that one species may have survived the Last Glacial Maximum in an isolated northern microrefuge, whereas a second species may have expanded to its current range from a southern origin, suggesting that the species retreated southward to hospitable climates as the ice sheets advanced; the results suggest that robust phylogeography can aid in reconstructing tree and plant responses to climate shifts.
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Article #19-01656: "Genomic evidence of survival near ice sheet margins for some, but not all, North American trees," by Jordan B. Bemmels, L. Lacey Knowles, and Christopher Dick.
MEDIA CONTACT: Jordan B. Bemmels, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; tel: 734-709-2914; e-mail: <jbemmels@umich.edu>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences