Genetic Diversity and Phylogeography of Lycophytes and Ferns

Dear Colleagues,

The development and improvement of population genetics and phylogeographic analyses, along with advances in molecular biology techniques over the last few decades, have provided the tools to establish the causes and processes that at the level of species have caused different patterns of diversity, distribution, and diversification of populations and gene lineages. However, for ferns and lycophytes, the phylogeography and genetic diversity pattern of most of their species have not been studied, which signifies an important lack of knowledge regarding plant evolutionary history.

Fern and lycophyte species belong to ancestral lineages among vascular plants. In plant phylogeography, most studies examine the effects of Pleistocene glaciations on plant distributions, while few studies address the history of ancient taxa in deeper time. Thus, ferns and lycophytes are suitable species for completing or contrasting the hypotheses proposed by historical biogeographic studies on the history of ancestral taxa and the factors responsible for their demise and current distribution, since the origin and initial stages of diversification of these species can be associated with powerful geological and climatic processes before the Pleistocene.

On the other hand, the biological peculiarities of ferns and lycophytes (i.e., independent life cycle phases, high spore dispersive capacity, post-dispersal fertilization, variability of breeding systems, clonality, scarcity and disjunct distribution of suitable habitats, especially in temperate areas) make them interesting species to explore the influence of these peculiarities on genetic diversity levels and on the population processes responsible for genetic structure.

This Special Issue provides a great opportunity to launch phylogeographic and genetic diversity studies in ferns. There are many issues to which these studies can contribute, such as the taxonomic, evolutionary, conservation, and biogeographic; this Special Ossue welcomes articles, opinions and reviews addressing any of these issues.

Dr. Víctor N Suárez-Santiago
Dr. Samira Ben-Menni Schuler
Dr. Frederick J. Rumsey
Guest Editors

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