Sonja Loots obtained her Doctorate at the Department of Plant Breeding, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Balsgård and Alnarp in 2019.

Doctorate thesis title: Habitat characteristics, genetic diversity and conservation concerns for the genus Lithops in Namibia

SUMMARY

The dwarf succulent genus Lithops, with 16 species in Namibia is of conservation concern and also over-classified. Habitat profile, spatial arrangement and abundance were investigated in 1 population of L. pseudotruncatella. Plant abundance, habitat variables and long-term monitoring data were analysed in 9 L. ruschiorum populations. Genetic variability within and among 15 species (23 taxa in total) was studied with AFLP markers to elucidate relationships between taxa and reveal any isolation by distance patterns.