Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity in Response to Climate Change

Phylogeography integrates spatial distribution with genetic lineage data to reconstruct how species have shifted, contracted or expanded their ranges in response to past climatic oscillations. By analysing genetic diversity within and among populations, researchers trace routes of post-glacial recolonisation, identify cryptic refugia and distinguish the roles of geographic barriers and environmental heterogeneity in shaping evolutionary trajectories. Advances in high-throughput sequencing, landscape genomics and ecological niche modelling now permit fine-scale detection of adaptive alleles and precise mapping of genetic structure against climate variables. Such approaches reveal, for example, how foundation tree species survived glacial maxima in isolated refugia before radiating along multiple migration pathways, and how understory herbs and alpine flora exhibit lineage divergence driven by mountain ranges and river systems. Insights from these studies inform the delineation of conservation units, guide ex situ germplasm sampling strategies and underpin efforts to bolster resilience in the face of ongoing warming. Together, this body of work highlights the global significance of phylogeographic patterns for biodiversity management, ecosystem restoration and predictive forecasting of genetic resilience under future climate scenarios.

Research from Nature Portfolio

High-resolution microsatellite analysis of Eastern Redbud across its native eastern North American range uncovered two principal genetic clusters, pointing to an ancient population bottleneck coinciding with the last glacial maximum. Subsequent expansion from a single southern refugium gave rise to distinct post-glacial lineages now characterised by limited gene flow. This study benchmarks the species’ surviving adaptive diversity and demonstrates how past climatic extremes have left enduring signatures in contemporary forest ecosystems, offering a template for defining conservation and restoration priorities as global temperatures rise.

Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity in Response to Climate Change publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in phylogeography and genetic diversity in response to climate change across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Phylogeography: The study of the geographical distribution of genetic lineages to infer historical processes of divergence and migration.

Genetic diversity: The variety of genetic characteristics within and among populations, reflecting evolutionary history and adaptive potential.

Glacial refugium: A location where populations persist through adverse glacial periods, serving as sources for post-glacial recolonisation.

Haplotype: A group of alleles at multiple loci on the same chromosome that are inherited together.

Genotype–environment association: An analytical approach linking genetic variation to environmental variables to identify adaptive loci.

Ecological niche modelling: A computational method that uses species occurrence and environmental data to predict past, current or future species distributions.

References

1. Genetic diversity in North American Cercis Canadensis reveals an ancient population bottleneck that originated after the last glacial maximum. Scientific Reports (2021).
2. A genome-guided strategy for climate resilience in American chestnut restoration populations. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2024).
3. Genetic divergence and ecological adaptation of an eastern North American spring ephemeral Sanguinaria canadensis. Diversity and Distributions (2024).
4. Dispersal capacities of pollen, seeds and spores: insights from comparative analyses of spatial genetic structures in bryophytes and spermatophytes. Frontiers in Plant Science (2023).