The ice-age history of West Patagonian (Chile) peat bog vegetation

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Dirk Albach
• Subject Area: Evolution and Systematics of Plants and Fungi
• Term: from 2012 to 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 212090058

Our project aims to clarify the Quaternary vegetation history of the Chilean Channel region. This large region is difficult to access and has rarely been studied with phylogeographic methods before, although it was the largest glaciated area in the southern hemisphere during the last glacial maximum. We will first test the hypotheses that the ice-shield completely wiped out plant life from this area (tabula rasa scenario) or that many yet unkown refugia may have existed within the ice shield or along its margin. Published data from palynology and geology are neither precise nor decisive yet and we expect that molecular data will generate much clearer results. We will analyse the population structure and the phylogeography of three species from cushion peat bogs, which is an endemic, dominant vegetation unit in this area. We will apply DNA sequence and microsatellite markers on c. 40 populations per species from within and outside the presumed ice shield. We will analyse present and past distribution ranges with environmental niche modelling to ascertain potential refugial areas. Our results will be integrated with results of two research groups who study adjacent regions with the same methodology, potentially allowing for a much more complete understanding of Quaternary vegetation history in southern South America.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Person: Dr. Klaus Bernhard von Hagen