Gene flow among plant populations in ecological landscape

Abstract

The growing interest in metapopulation dynamics has prompted recent studies on contemporary gene flow among plant populations in ecological space and time. These studies have revealed that a number of ecological factors, as well as the geographic distances separating local plant populations, play critical roles in determining the spatial and temporal dynamics of pollen and seed movement among the populations. In this article, I review recent studies of gene flow among plant populations with respect to extant ecological factors, such as landscape features, behavior of pollen/seed vectors, and variation in phenology and life-stage structure among local populations. Furthermore, I also focus on studies of populations in a non-equilibrium state, where metapopulation dynamics or the seed bank largely affect the genetic structure of local populations. Future studies aimed at clarifying the ecological and evolutionary consequences of plant dispersal in natural habitats are required.