Historical isolation and Quaternary range expansion of divergent lineages in wild grapevine

Vitis vinifera subsp. silvestris, the wild subspecies of Vitis vinifera L., is a unique and valuable genetic resource for cultivated grapevines. At present, this wild form is rare and is spread from the Southern Atlantic coast of Europe to the Western Himalayas. In the present study, six nuclear microsatellite DNAs were analysed in 301 wild grape samples, using factorial correspondence analysis and the Bayesian model. The aim was to detect the distribution of genetic variability and admixture proportions and thus to identify the main routes of recolonization after the quaternary glaciation, as well as signals of secondary contacts in Europe. The results obtained show that some Caucasus and Italian areas played key roles as refugial areas. Moreover, the data suggest the existence of two main migration routes through central Europe during the post‐glacial or the inter‐glacial periods. The first started from Southern Italy and moved northward, whereas the second originated from refugia possibly located in eastern areas and migrated westwards. This scenario is most likely associated with the population expansion that followed the European Quaternary glaciations. In accordance with this assumption, central Europe is proposed as an admixture confluence of migration routes radiating from separate grapevine refugia. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 95 , 611–619.