Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity in a Southern North American Desert: Agave kerchovei From the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico

High genetic diversity and strong population structuring in the endemic Agave kerchovei suggest that Pleistocene glacial cycles shaped its distribution within the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley. The study sequenced three non-coding chloroplast regions from 128 individuals across eight populations, revealing total chloroplast genetic variation (Hd = 0.718) despite restricted distribution, with low intrapopulation diversity and high genetic structure (FST = 0.928). Ecological niche models indicated stable potential distribution since the middle Holocene (6 kya), while core valley populations appear distinct from peripheral ones, hinting at incipient speciation outside the Tehuacán Valley.

Aguirre-Planter, E., Parra-Leyva, J. G., Ramírez-Barahona, S., Scheinvar, E., Lira-Saade, R., & Eguiarte, L. E. (2020). Phylogeography and Genetic Diversity in a Southern North American Desert: Agave kerchovei From the Tehuacán-Cuicatlán Valley, Mexico. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00863