Importance of introgression on intra-specific genetic differentiation and adaptive divergence

The origin of alpine plants in Japan can be traced back to migration from northern regions such the northern Pacific and Arctic during the Pleistocene glacial period. In contrast to this biogeographic history, alpine plants in Japan have to overcome different environmental conditions compared with more northern populations, such as higher temperature and shorter photoperiods. As a result, some adaptive divergence may have accumulated between northern and southern populations. To elucidate the mechanistic basis for adaptive evolution, analyzing genetic variation is an efficient approach.

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