Spatial Genetic Patterns in Four Old-Growth Populations of Coast Redwood

Introduction The mating systems of plant species and their patterns of pollen flow and seed dispersal create a pattern in the distribution of genetic diversity which is referred to as spatial genetic structure (Wright 1946). Over time, that pattern may be modified by other influences such as natural selection. In studying the spatial genetic structures of plant species directly, we can infer the past events of gene flow that contributed to those structures. Elucidating the dynamics of gene flow within a species improves our understanding of the nature of local populations—the units within which the majority of gene sharing occurs, and the units that are often the focus of conservation or management.