Consequences of Stochastic Elements in Plant Migration

Stochastic processes promote the random differentiation of populations, whereas migration counterbalances such differentiation. However, if immigrants are related or come from one neighboring population and if migration rates are variable, stochastic elements reduce the homogenizing effect of a given level of migration. Flowering-plant migration and colonization may reflect a considerable level of stochastic influence in them, which means that the potential for random differentiation is greater than we suspect. Stochastic elements in plant migration increase the evolutionary potential of species by increasing the level of gene diversity and the opportunity for group selection. They also increase the standardized variance of gene frequencies among loci.