Aim Phylogeographical studies of Eastern Mediterranean species are rare. We aim to fill a gap in the current understanding of the role of Eastern Mediterranean glacial refugia, and their connections with other refugia across Europe. To this end, we studied the genetic diversity distribution and genetic structure of the modern population of Quercus cerris in relation to its Quaternary demographic history and to more ancient eve...

This study represents the first large‐scale analysis using nuclear molecular markers to assess genetic diversity and structure of Cupressus sempervirens L.. Genetic and fossil data were combined to infer the possible role of human activity and evolutionary history in shaping the diversity of cypress populations. We analysed 30 populations with six polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. Dramatic reductions in heterozygosit...

Combining molecular analyses with geological and palaeontological data may reveal timing and modes for the divergence of lineages within species. The Mediterranean Basin is particularly appropriate for this kind of multidisciplinary studies, because of its complex geological history and biological diversity. Here, we investigated chloroplast DNA of Quercus suber populations in order to detect possible relationships between the...