Genetic variation of Sherardia arvensis L. - How land use and fragmentation affect an arable weed

Our study revealed that neither French nor German populations are genetically impoverished. For French populations further the spatial genetic structure suggests that there is current gene flow between populations through pollinators and seed dispersal by cattle. For German populations comparable levels of genetic diversity and gene flow were detected, but gene flow was random. This can be traced back in all likelihood to diffuse dispersal by agriculture and the mechanical reshuffling of the individuals from the soil seed bank.