Bridging mountains and seasGlasnović, Peter (Avtor) Radosavljević, Ivan (Avtor) Šarančić, Sara Laura (Avtor) Mitić, Damjan (Avtor) Surina, Boštjan (Avtor) Amphi–Adriatic–Ionian distributionenvironmental niche modellinggenomicsMediterraneanmorphometricsphylogeographyplastid DNAAim Amphi–Adriatic–Ionian plant taxa, distributed on both the Balkan and Apennine peninsulas, exemplify one of the many diversity patterns characteristic of the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot. To better understand these patterns, we examined the genetic and morphological variability, as well as the present day and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) potential distribution of a scree-dwelling plant endemic to the study region. Location Amphi–Adriatic–Ionian region within the Mediterranean basin. Taxon Drypis spinosa L. (Caryophyllaceae). Methods Population genomics and phylogeographic patterns were investigated by analysing single–nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and plastid DNA markers. Morphometric techniques were additionally used to assess taxonomic relationships. Environmental niche modelling (ENM) was applied to evaluate potential occurrences under present-day and LGM conditions. Results Genetic data revealed concordant patterns of genetic diversity, indicating that the mountainous areas of the western Balkans harbour the highest genetic variability in D. spinosa. Historical connections were detected among populations from the Kvarner area, the central and southern Apennines, and the Scardo–Pindic Mountains. Neither molecular nor morphological analyses supported the historically proposed lower-rank taxonomic distinctions. ENM suggests a substantial increase in favourable conditions during the LGM compared to the present day. Main Conclusions Our findings indicate two primary links between the Balkan Peninsula and the Apennines: one spanning the northern and central Adriatic Sea, involving populations from the Kvarner area and the central Dinaric Alps, and another connecting the Scardo–Pindic Mountains across the Ionian Sea. This reveals a biogeographical pattern not previously documented in plants with an Amphi–Adriatic–Ionian distribution.20262026-05-25 13:26:10Članek v reviji23075UDK: 582.661ISSN pri članku: 0305-0270DOI: 10.1111/jbi.70251COBISS.SI-ID: 279239427sl