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Reconstructing the worldwide colonization history of the world’s most widespread marine plant

Using population genomics, we reveal the global dispersal history of eelgrass (Zostera marina) from its origin in the Northwest Pacific Ocean, across to the East Pacific, Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. Striking differences in genetic diversity among the locations reflect past glaciations and repeated bottlenecks during Z. marina’s worldwide colonization.

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Fig. 1: Sampling locations, nucleotide diversity and population structure of Z. marina.

References

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This is a summary of: Yu, L. et al. Ocean current patterns drive the worldwide colonization of eelgrass (Zostera marina). Nat. Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01464-3 (2023).

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Reconstructing the worldwide colonization history of the world’s most widespread marine plant. Nat. Plants 9, 1180–1181 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-023-01465-2

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