Phylogeography of North American populations of the moss species Hylocomium splendens based on the nucleotide sequence of internal transcribed spacer 2 of nuclear ribosomal DNA

Sequence variation of the internal transcribed sequence 2 (ITS2) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) was investigated in 10 North American populations of Hylocomium splendens. Cladistic analyses supported the monophyly of this moss species, rooted at Hylocomiastrum and Neodolichomitra. Three geographically based groups (Great Lakes Forest, Appalachian Mountains, and Pacific Northwest) were identified by a minimum spanning network. Significant genetic differentiation was detected (FST = 0.197 − 0.390) among three geographical regions in North America. Although high genetic divergence exists within H. splendens, these results do not suggest sufficient divergence for designating sibling species.