The evolution of adaptive genetic variation in relation to speciation divergence and introgression in conifers

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Boreal conifers are among the living organisms with largest natural distributions. They are usually characterized by high genetic diversity and gene flow. We have shown that history has been an important factor in shaping this diversity given the existence of distinct geneticlineages at the intraspecific level, that have emerged as a result of vicariance during ice ages. This isolation may also have resulted in differential adaptation given thedifferent climates characterizing glacial refugia, in addition to more recent natural selection during Holocene, following the retreat of glaciers andrecolonization. We have also shown that this post-glacial colonization has also resulted in the existence of contact zones between hybridizing species andbetween intraspecific lineages, respectively called hybrid or suture zones. Therefore, genetic diversity can be highly structured in these zones, with different patterns observed for different genomes and even among genomic regions within the nuclear genome.