Abstract

Climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene influenced the geographical distribution of plant species across the southern region of California. Following an integrative approach, we combined genetic data analysis with Environmental Niche Models (ENMs) to assess the historical range expansion of Yucca schidigera, a long-lived desert perennial native of the Baja California Peninsula. We genotyped 240 individuals with seven nuclear microsatellite to investigate genetic diversity distribution across 13 populations. Indeed, we used Environmental Niche Models to examine the changes on the distribution of suitable climatic conditions for this species during the LIG (similar to 120 ka), LGM (similar to 22 ka) and Mid Holocene (similar to 6 ka). We detected high genetic diversity across Y. schidigera populations (A(R) = 9.94 +/- 0.38 SE; H-exp = 0.791 +/- 0.011 SE) with genetic variation decreasing significantly with latitude (allelic richness: R (2) = 0.38, P = 0.023; expected heterocigosity: R-2 = 0.32, P = 0.042). We observed low, but significant genetic differentiation (F-ST = 0.0678; P 0.001) which was consistent with the parapatric distribution of the three genetic groupings detected by the Bayesian clustering algorithm. The ENMs suggest that suitable habitat for this species increased since the LGM. Our results support a range expansion of Y. schidigera across northwestern Baja California during the late Quaternary. Genetic data suggest that colonization of the current distribution followed a southward directionality as suitable climatic conditions became widely available in this region. High genetic variation across our sample suggests large historic effective population sizes for this section of the geographical range.