Testing which axes of species differentiation underlie covariance of phylogeographic similarity among montane sedge species

Co-distributed species may exhibit similar phylogeographic patterns due to shared environmental factors or discordant attributed the influence of species-specific traits. Although either concordant could occur chance, stark differences in key traits (e.g., dispersal ability) readily explain between species. Multiple species' attributes affect genetic patterns, and it is difficult isolate contribution each. Here we compare relative importance two attributes, range size, niche breadth, shaping spatial structure variation four sedge (genus Carex) from Rocky Mountains. Within pairs co-distributed species, one exhibits narrow while other has broad breadth. Furthermore, pair a large geographical distribution, small distribution. The represent natural experiment tease apart how these (i.e., size breadth) patterns. Investigations revealed that but not related covariation across montane sedges. Our study highlights isolating multiple can inform their impact on processes driving intraspecific differentiation.