Dispersal and genetic differentiation of Syntrichia caninervis populations across different desert regions in China

Abstract

The moss Syntrichia caninervis is widely distributed in cool temperate and cold deserts where environmental pressures create a dependence on asexual reproduction (fragment reproduction). However, when compared to sporophyte-producing mosses, there is a lack of evidence to support the capacity of drought-tolerant mosses that predominantly fragment and produce protonema to disperse over long distances.• We used 20 microsatellite loci to study genetic variation and structure in six populations (five natural populations and one population from a regeneration site) in three contrasting and widely separated regions of China.• Predominantly asexually reproducing populations of S. caninervis are mainly dependent on short-distance dispersal. Long-distance dispersal of S. caninervis propagules across the region is difficult. Establishment of populations with dominant asexual reproduction will eventually result in genetic differentiation.Plant Biology 21 (2019) 706-714