{"doi":"10.1111/mec.12551","title":"Relative importance of pollen and seed dispersal across a <scp>N</scp>eotropical mountain landscape for an epiphytic orchid","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Populations of many species are isolated within narrow elevation bands of <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">N</jats:styled-content>eotropical mountain habitat, and how well dispersal maintains genetic connectivity is unknown. We asked whether genetic structure of an epiphytic orchid, <jats:italic><jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">E</jats:styled-content>pidendrum firmum,</jats:italic> corresponds to gaps between <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">C</jats:styled-content>osta <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">R</jats:styled-content>ican mountain ranges, and how these gaps influence pollen and seed flow. We predicted that significant genetic structure exists among mountain ranges due to different colonization histories and limited gene flow. Furthermore, we predicted that pollen movement contributes more to gene flow than seeds because seeds are released into strong winds perpendicular to the narrow northwest–southeast species distribution, while the likely pollinators are strong fliers. Individuals from 12 populations and three mountain ranges were genotyped with nuclear microsatellites (n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content>) and chloroplast sequences (cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content>). Genetic diversity was high for both markers, while n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> genetic structure was low (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>STn</jats:sub> = 0.020) and cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> structure was moderate (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>STc</jats:sub> = 0.443). Significant cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> barriers occurred within and among mountain ranges, but n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> barriers were not significant after accounting for geographic distance. Consistent with these contrasting patterns of genetic structure, pollen contributes substantially more to gene flow among populations than seed (<jats:italic>m</jats:italic><jats:sub>p</jats:sub>/<jats:italic>m</jats:italic><jats:sub>s</jats:sub> = 46). Pollinators mediated extensive gene flow, eroding n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> colonization footprints, while seed flow was comparatively limited, possibly due to directional prevailing winds across linearly distributed populations. Dispersal traits alone may not accurately inform predictions about gene flow or genetic structure, supporting the need for research into the potentially crucial role of pollinators and landscape context in gene flow among isolated populations.</jats:p>","journal":"Molecular Ecology","year":2013,"id":626399,"datarank":0.5333022092234121,"base_score":3.5553480614894135,"endowment":3.5553480614894135,"self_citation_contribution":0.5333022092234121,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.5333022092234121,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":34,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1620326,"name":"Richard P. Shefferson","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1620327,"name":"Dorset W. Trapnell","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1620325,"name":"Tyler R. Kartzinel","orcid":null,"position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"Relative importance of pollen and seed dispersal across a <scp>N</scp>eotropical mountain landscape for an epiphytic orchid","abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Populations of many species are isolated within narrow elevation bands of <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">N</jats:styled-content>eotropical mountain habitat, and how well dispersal maintains genetic connectivity is unknown. We asked whether genetic structure of an epiphytic orchid, <jats:italic><jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">E</jats:styled-content>pidendrum firmum,</jats:italic> corresponds to gaps between <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">C</jats:styled-content>osta <jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">R</jats:styled-content>ican mountain ranges, and how these gaps influence pollen and seed flow. We predicted that significant genetic structure exists among mountain ranges due to different colonization histories and limited gene flow. Furthermore, we predicted that pollen movement contributes more to gene flow than seeds because seeds are released into strong winds perpendicular to the narrow northwest–southeast species distribution, while the likely pollinators are strong fliers. Individuals from 12 populations and three mountain ranges were genotyped with nuclear microsatellites (n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content>) and chloroplast sequences (cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content>). Genetic diversity was high for both markers, while n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> genetic structure was low (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>STn</jats:sub> = 0.020) and cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> structure was moderate (<jats:italic>F</jats:italic><jats:sub>STc</jats:sub> = 0.443). Significant cp<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> barriers occurred within and among mountain ranges, but n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> barriers were not significant after accounting for geographic distance. Consistent with these contrasting patterns of genetic structure, pollen contributes substantially more to gene flow among populations than seed (<jats:italic>m</jats:italic><jats:sub>p</jats:sub>/<jats:italic>m</jats:italic><jats:sub>s</jats:sub> = 46). Pollinators mediated extensive gene flow, eroding n<jats:styled-content style=\"fixed-case\">DNA</jats:styled-content> colonization footprints, while seed flow was comparatively limited, possibly due to directional prevailing winds across linearly distributed populations. Dispersal traits alone may not accurately inform predictions about gene flow or genetic structure, supporting the need for research into the potentially crucial role of pollinators and landscape context in gene flow among isolated populations.</jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"24308648","pmcid":null,"openalex_id":null,"authors":[],"funders":[{"funder_name":"National Science Foundation","grant_id":"DEB 1110307","title":null},{"funder_name":"American Philosophical Society","grant_id":"","title":null},{"funder_name":"Explorers Club","grant_id":"","title":null}],"total_grants":3,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[],"oa_status":"closed","license":"http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmec.12551","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mec.12551","host_type":"publisher"}],"fields_of_study":[],"mesh_terms":["Cell Nucleus","Orchidaceae","Pollen","DNA, Chloroplast","Genetics, Population","Ecosystem","Wind","Microsatellite Repeats","Genotype","Geography","Molecular Sequence Data","Costa Rica","Gene Flow","Pollination","Genetic Variation","Seed Dispersal"],"keywords":["Genetic structure","Chloroplast DNA","Microsatellites","pollinator","Gene Dispersal"],"sdg_mappings":[],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-04T13:43:20.821741Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}