Threat or opportunity? Landscape genetics in a coal mining area

Abstract

Aknowledgment

The area of Sveagruva have experienced several periods of coal mining. This study aim to evaluating changes in vegetation composition, species distributions and genetic structure using a combination of field and molecular analyses, to identify whether or not coal mining have effected plant life in Svea. Investigations on species and gene level were done on two Luzula species, L. confusa Lindeb. and L. nivalis (Laest.) Spreng. No direct correlation was found, and the soil pH explains most of the seen variation. Though it was also discovered that Luzula nivalis in Sveagruva are composed of different gene lineages. Could this be a another cryptic species of Svalbard?