Low genic differentiation among isolated populations of the California fan palm ( Washingtonia filifera).

Abstract

Hypothesizes that stochastic processes reduced levels of genic variability in this refugium population during its formation. Dispersal of seeds from this refugium into suitable habitats in the Colorado Desert would produce populations with low variability and high genetic similarity because of their common ancestry. However, low intrapopulation variability and genetic homogeneity across populations could be the product of uniform selection pressures favoring a narrow array of specialized genotypes in either relict or colonizing populations. -from Authors