Historical demography in Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Leguminosae) from Argentina

Abstract

Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil is a South American native tree species which characterizes the Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests (SDTFs). These forests are in disjunct patches along the Neotropics. The influence of past climatic fluctuations on the current distribution of these forests deserves several interpretations because the tropical climatic conditions were unstable during Cenozoic. The aim of this study is identify traces of demographical-historical events on current patterns of chloroplastic genetic variation in Argentinean natural populations of A. colubrina var. cebil in order to make inferences about the temporal development of these forests. Population genetic and demographic analyses from genetic variation in three chloroplastic loci were performed. The current distribution of chloroplastic haplotypes of A. colubrina var. cebil shows clear traces of historical fragmentation between the nuclei of these forests. The Andean Piedmont nucleus maintains traces of later expansion after it arrives to the region, whereas the Misiones nucleus shows historical stability.