September 26, 2012

Species richness and genetic diversity do not go hand in hand in alpine plants




An international team of researchers led by the University of Grenoble and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) has demonstrated for the first time that a high level of species diversity in alpine plants does not necessarily go hand in hand with a high level of genetic diversity. This finding suggests that new future strategies are needed to protect biodiversity in the Alpine region. The results of the study were published online in Ecology Letters.