@article {100, title = {Phylogeography of the genus Podococcus (Palmae/Arecaceae) in Central African rain forests: Climate stability predicts unique genetic diversity.}, journal = {Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution}, volume = {105}, year = {2016}, pages = {126-138}, chapter = {126}, abstract = {

The tropical rain forests of Central Africa contain high levels of species diversity. Paleovegetation or biodiversity
patterns suggested successive contraction/expansion phases on this rain forest cover during the
last glacial maximum (LGM). Consequently, the hypothesis of the existence of refugia e.g. habitat stability
that harbored populations during adverse climatic periods has been proposed. Understory species are
tightly associated to forest cover and consequently are ideal markers of forest dynamics. Here, we used
two central African rain forest understory species of the palm genus, Podococcus, to assess the role of past
climate variation on their distribution and genetic diversity. Species distribution modeling in the present
and at the LGM was used to estimate areas of climatic stability. Genetic diversity and phylogeography
were estimated by sequencing near complete plastomes for over 120 individuals. Areas of climatic stability
were mainly located in mountainous areas like the Monts de Cristal and Monts Doudou in Gabon, but
also lowland coastal forests in southeast Cameroon and northeast Gabon. Genetic diversity analyses
shows a clear North\–South structure of genetic diversity within one species. This divide was estimated
to have originated some 500,000 years ago. We show that, in Central Africa, high and unique genetic
diversity is strongly correlated with inferred areas of climatic stability since the LGM. Our results further
highlight the importance of coastal lowland rain forests in Central Africa as harboring not only high species
diversity but also important high levels of unique genetic diversity. In the context of strong human
pressure on coastal land use and destruction, such unique diversity hotspots need to be considered in
future conservation planning

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2016.08.005}, author = {A. Faye and V. Deblauwe and C. Mariac and D. Richard and B. Sonk{\'e} and Y. Vigouroux and T.L.P. Couvreur} }