Over half of the existing 24 species are recognized as threatened or threatened at the state or federal level, and nearly all scrub mints grow in locations that are being quickly converted or established to farming pastures.In a new study, researchers examined an unique type of DNA marker, which shows there are likely more scrub mint species waiting to be clinically described. Stemming in the panhandle, the ancestor of modern-day scrub mints distributed south as quickly as there was land to grow on.At the height of the ice ages throughout the Pleistocene, when much of the worlds reserve of water was locked away in huge glaciers, Florida was up to two times the size it is today, and scrub mints flourished. There were at least 17 ice ages throughout the Pleistocene, when scrub mints were evolving, and each cold duration was separated by warm periods in which much of Florida was swallowed by the sea.Widespread scrub environments were consistently lowered to islands, severing the connection between mint populations. During the cold periods, when sea levels fell, scrub mint populations once again overlapped, and these distinct species hybridized with each other.This ancient intermingling developed the scrub mints as theyre understood today.The storied history of scrub mints cut short by developmentNaranjo sequenced nuclear DNA from scrub mints for the study. Unlike the plastid DNA typically used to study plants, which is produced by structures called chloroplasts, the DNA from plant nuclei is particularly useful for scientists attempting to tease apart historical interactions in between species.According to his outcomes, yearly scrub mints in the genus Dicerandra– which grow north into South Carolina and die back throughout the winter– stemmed from a back-to-back hybridization occasion between the ancestors of perennial scrub mints, which have a distribution even more south and grow year-round.
Over half of the existing 24 types are recognized as threatened or endangered at the state or federal level, and nearly all scrub mints grow in areas that are being quickly established or converted to farming pastures.In a new study, scientists examined an unique type of DNA marker, which reveals there are likely more scrub mint species waiting to be clinically described. Throughout the cold periods, when sea levels fell, scrub mint populations again overlapped, and these special species hybridized with each other.This ancient intermingling produced the scrub mints as theyre known today.The storied history of scrub mints cut brief by developmentNaranjo sequenced nuclear DNA from scrub mints for the research study. Unlike the plastid DNA typically utilized to study plants, which is produced by structures called chloroplasts, the DNA from plant nuclei is specifically beneficial for researchers trying to tease apart historic interactions between species.According to his outcomes, yearly scrub mints in the genus Dicerandra– which grow north into South Carolina and die back throughout the winter season– stemmed from a back-to-back hybridization event in between the ancestors of seasonal scrub mints, which have a circulation further south and grow year-round.