CREAF

Using a phylogeographic approach, this project aimed at analyzing the evolutionary and speciation processes of the endemic plant species shared by the largest continental islands of the Western Mediterranean Basin (Balearic Islands, Corsica and Sardinia; the tyrrhenian element). The results indicated that genetic drift is a major evolutionary force driving plant diversification in these islands, and that the processes of long-distance migration have played a minor role in the patterns of diversity observed.

Related publications:

Mayol M, Palau C, Rosselló JA, González-Martínez SC, Molins A, Riba M (2012) Patterns of genetic variability and habitat occupancy in Crepis triasii (Asteraceae) at different spatial scales: insights on evolutionary processes leading to diversification in continental islands. Annals of Botany, 109, 429-441.

Molins A, Bacchetta G, Rosato M, Rosselló JA, Mayol M (2011) Molecular phylogeography of Thymus herba-barona (Lamiaceae): Insight into the evolutionary history of the flora of the western Mediterranean islands. Taxon, 60, 1295-1305.

Rosselló JA, Cosín R, Bacchetta G, Brullo S, Mayol M (2009) Nuclear and chloroplast DNA variation in Cephalaria squamiflora (Dipsacaceae), a disjunct Mediterranean species. Taxon, 58, 1242-1253.

Molins A, Mayol M, Rosselló JA (2009) Phylogeographic structure in the coastal species Senecio rodriguezii (Asteraceae), a narrow endemic Mediterranean plant. Journal of Biogeography, 36, 1372-1383