Geographic hierarchical population genetic structuring in British European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) and its implications for conservation

Abstract The European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus complex represents one of the most diverse radiations within salmonids, with extreme morphological and genetic differentiation across its range. Such variation has led to the assignment of many populations to separate species. In Great Britain, the seven native populations of C. lavaretus (two in Scotland, four in England, one in Wales) were previously classified into three species, and recent taxonomic revision resurrected the previous nomenclature. Here we used a dataset of 15 microsatellites to: (1) investigate the genetic diversity of British populations, (2) assess the level of population structure and the relationships between British populations. Genetic diversity was highest in Welsh (HO = 0.50, AR = 5.29), intermediate in English (HO = 0.41–0.50, AR = 2.83–3.88), and lowest in Scottish populations (HO = 0.28–0.35, AR = 2.56–3.04). Population structure analyses indicated high genetic differentiation (global FST = 0.388) between all populations but for the two Scottish populations (FST = 0.063) and two English populations (FST = 0.038). Principal component analysis and molecular ANOVA revealed separation between Scottish, English, and Welsh populations, with the Scottish populations being the most diverged. We argue that the data presented here are not sufficient to support a separation of the British European whitefish populations into three separate species, but support the delineation of different ESUs for these populations.

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Insight into the Current Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Domestic Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in Russia

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10081309 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1309

Author(s):

Veronika Kharzinova ◽

Arsen Dotsev ◽

Anastasiya Solovieva ◽

Olga Sergeeva ◽

Georgiy Bryzgalov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Rangifer Tarandus ◽

Allelic Richness ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Principal Component ◽

Genetic Structuring ◽

Habitat Location ◽

The Republic ◽

Insight Into

To examine the genetic diversity and population structure of domestic reindeer, using the BovineHD BeadChip, we genotyped reindeer individuals belonging to the Nenets breed of the five main breeding regions, the Even breed of the Republic of Sakha, the Evenk breed of the Krasnoyarsk and Yakutia regions, and the Chukotka breed of the Chukotka region and its within-breed ecotype, namely, the Chukotka–Khargin, which is bred in Yakutia. The Chukotka reindeer was shown to have the lowest genetic diversity in terms of the allelic richness and heterozygosity indicators. The principal component analysis (PCA) results are consistent with the neighbor-net tree topology, dividing the reindeer into groups according to their habitat location and origin of the breed. Admixture analysis indicated a genetic structuring of two groups of Chukotka origin, the Even breed and most of the geographical groups of the Nenets breed, with the exception of the Murmansk reindeer, the gene pool of which was comprised of the Nenets and apparently the native Sami reindeer. The presence of a genetic component of the Nenets breed in some reindeer inhabiting the Krasnoyarsk region was detected. Our results provide a deeper insight into the current intra-breeding reindeer genetic diversity, which is an important requirement for future reindeer herding strategies and for animal adaptation to environmental changes.

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Revealing the coexistence of differentiation and communication in an endemic hare, Lepus yarkandensis (Mammalia, Leporidae) using specific-length amplified fragment sequencing

Frontiers in Zoology ◽

10.1186/s12983-021-00432-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Buweihailiqiemu Ababaikeri ◽

Yucong Zhang ◽

Huiying Dai ◽

Wenjuan Shan

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Tarim Basin ◽

Principal Component ◽

Northwest China ◽

The North ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Specific Length

Abstract Background The Yarkand hare (Lepus yarkandensis Günther, 1875) is endemic to oasis and desert areas around the Tarim Basin in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwest China; however, genome-wide information for this species remains limited. Moreover, the genetic variation, genetic structure, and phylogenetic relationships of Yarkand hare from the plateau mountain regions have not been reported. Thus, we used specific-length amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology to evaluate the genetic diversity of 76 Yarkand hares from seven geographic populations in the northern and southwestern parts of the Tarim Basin to investigate single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) marker-based population differentiation and evolutionary processes. Selective sweep analysis was conducted to identify genetic differences between populations. Results Using SLAF-seq, a total of 1,835,504 SNPs were initially obtained, of which 308,942 high-confidence SNPs were selected for further analysis. Yarkand hares exhibited a relatively high degree of genetic diversity at the SNP level. Based on pairwise FST estimates, the north and southwest groups showed a moderate level of genetic differentiation. Phylogenetic tree and population structure analyses demonstrated evident systematic phylogeographical structure patterns consistent with the geographical distribution of the hares. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variation further indicated that genetic variation was mainly observed within populations. Low to moderate genetic differentiation also occurred among populations despite a common genomic background, likely due to geographical barriers, genetic drift, and differential selection pressure of distinct environments. Nevertheless, the observed lineage-mixing pattern, as indicated by the evolutionary tree, principal component analysis, population structure, and TreeMix analyses, suggests a certain degree of gene flow between the north and southwest groups. This may be related to the migration of hares to high-altitude water sources southwest of the basin during glacial climatic oscillations, as well as river re-diffusion and oasis restoration in the basin following the glacial period. We also identified candidate genes, and their associated gene ontology terms and pathways, related to the adaptation of Yarkand hares to different environmental habitats. Conclusions The identified genome-wide SNPs, genetic diversity, and population structure of Yarkand hares expand our understanding of the genetic background of this endemic species and provide valuable insights into its environmental adaptation, allowing for further exploration of the underlying mechanisms.

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Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Lateolabrax maculatus from Chinese coastal waters using polymorphic microsatellite markers

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-93000-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Wei Wang ◽

Chunyan Ma ◽

Longling Ouyang ◽

Wei Chen ◽

Ming Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Structure Analysis ◽

Principal Component ◽

Genetic Constitution ◽

Southern Group ◽

Population Structure Analysis ◽

Lateolabrax Maculatus ◽

Geographic Populations ◽

Geographic Separation

AbstractIn order to provide valuable guidelines for the conservation of germplasm of Lateolabrax maculatus, the genetic diversity and population structure analysis were evaluated for eight geographic populations along coastal regions of China, using 11 microsatellite DNA markers. The genetic parameters obtained showed that, eight populations can be clustered into two groups, the Northern group and the Southern group, concordant with their geographical positions. The UPGMA tree constructed according to the Nei’s genetic distance along with the structure analysis and discriminant analysis of principal component also supported this result. This might be explained by the geographic separation and the divergent environmental conditions among the populations. It's worth noting that, QD (Qingdao) population from northern area was assigned to the Southern group and showed a close genetic relationship and similar genetic constitution with the southern populations. We speculated that large scales of anthropogenic transportation of wild fries from QD populations to the southern aquaculture areas in history should be the primary cause. The populations from GY (Ganyu), RD (Rudong) and BH (Binhai) had higher genetic diversity and showed limited genetic exchange with other populations, indicating better conservation of the natural resources in these regions. All populations were indicated to have experienced bottleneck events in history.

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Population Genetics and Evolution Analysis Reveal Diversity and Origin of Ammopiptanthus in China.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-779119/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Guai-qiang Chai ◽

Yizhong Duan ◽

Peipei Jiao ◽

Zhongyu Du ◽

Furen Kang

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Association Studies ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Principal Component ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Future Design ◽

Ammopiptanthus Nanus ◽

Genome Wide

Abstract Background：Elucidating and revealing the population genetic structure, genetic diversity and recombination is essential for understanding the evolution and adaptation of species. Ammopiptanthus, which is an endangered survivor from the Tethys in the Tertiary Period, is the only evergreen broadleaf shrub grown in Northwest of China. However, little is known about its genetic diversity and underlying adaptation mechanisms. Results：Here, 111 Ammopiptanthus individuals collected from fifteen natural populations in estern China were analyzed by means of the specific locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq). Based on the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions and deletions (InDels) detected by SLAF-seq, genetic diversity and markers associated with climate and geographical distribution variables were identified. The results of genetic diversity and genetic differentiation revealed that all fifteen populations showed medium genetic diversity, with PIC values ranging from 0.1648 to 0.3081. AMOVA and Fst indicated that a low genetic differentiation existed among populations. Phylogenetic analysis showed that NX-BG and NMG-DQH of fifteen populations have the highest homology，while the genetic structure analysis revealed that these Ammopiptanthus germplasm accessions were structured primarily along the basis of their geographic collection, and that an extensive admixture occurred in each group. In addition, the genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) and principal component analysis showed that Ammopiptanthus nanus had a more diverse genomic background, and all genetic populations were clearly distinguished, although different degrees of introgression were detected in these groups. Conclusion：Our study could provide guidance to the future design of association studies and the systematic utilization and protection of the genetic variation characterizing the Ammopiptanthus.

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Genome-wide genetic diversity, population structure and admixture analysis in Eritrean Indigenous Cattle

South African Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4314/sajas.v49i6.12 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 49 (6) ◽

pp. 1083-1092

Author(s):

S Goitom ◽

M.G. Gicheha ◽

F.K. Njonge ◽

N Kiplangat

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variability ◽

Population Differentiation ◽

Principal Component ◽

Vital Role ◽

Group Method ◽

Indigenous Cattle ◽

Ecological Zones ◽

Genome Wide

Indigenous cattle play a vital role in subsistence and livelihood of pastoral producers in Eritrea. In order to optimally utilize and conserve these valuable indigenous cattle genetic resources, the need to carry out an inventory of their genetic diversity was recognized. This study assessed the genetic variability, population structure and admixture of the indigenous cattle populations (ICPs) of Eritrea using a genotype by sequencing (GBS) approach. The authors genotyped 188 animals, which were sampled from 27 cattle populations in three diverse agro-ecological zones (western lowlands, highlands and eastern lowlands). The genome-wide analysis results from this study revealed genetic diversity, population structure and admixture among the ICPs. Averages of the minor allele frequency (AF), observed heterozygosity (HO), expected heterozygosity (HE), and inbreeding coefficient (FIS) were 0.157, 0.255, 0.218, and -0.089, respectively. Nei’s genetic distance (Ds) between populations ranged from 0.24 to 0.27. Mean population differentiation (FST) ranged from 0.01 to 0.30. Analysis of molecular variance revealed high genetic variation between the populations. Principal component analysis and the distance-based unweighted pair group method and arithmetic mean analyses revealed weak substructure among the populations, separating them into three genetic clusters. However, multi-locus clustering had the lowest cross-validation error when two genetically distinct groups were modelled. This information about genetic diversity and population structure of Eritrean ICPs provided a basis for establishing their conservation and genetic improvement programmes. Keywords: genetic variability, molecular characterization, population differentiation

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Genetic Diversity and Natural Selection of Plasmodium vivax Duffy Binding Protein-II From China-Myanmar Border of Yunnan Province, China

Frontiers in Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fmicb.2021.758061 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Tian-Qi Shi ◽

Hai-Mo Shen ◽

Shen-Bo Chen ◽

Kokouvi Kassegne ◽

Yan-Bing Cui ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Natural Selection ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Positive Selection ◽

Plasmodium Vivax ◽

Yunnan Province ◽

Duffy Binding Protein ◽

Synonymous Mutations ◽

Selection Of

Malaria incidence has declined dramatically over the past decade and China was certified malaria-free in 2021. However, the presence of malaria in border areas and the importation of cases of malaria parasites are major challenges for the consolidation of the achievements made by China. Plasmodium vivax Duffy binding protein (PvDBP) performs a significant role in erythrocyte invasion, and is considered a promising P. vivax vaccine. However, the highly polymorphic region of PvDBP (PvDBP-II) impedes the development of blood-stage vaccine against P. vivax. In this study, we investigated the genetic diversity and natural selection of PvDBP-II among 124 P. vivax isolates collected from the China-Myanmar border (CMB) in Yunnan Province, China, during 2009–2011. To compare genetic diversity, natural selection, and population structure with CMB isolates, 85 pvdbp-II sequences of eastern Myanmar isolates were obtained from GenBank. In addition, global sequences of pvdbp-II were retrieved from GenBank to establish genetic differentiation relationships and networks with the CMB isolates. In total, 22 single nucleotide polymorphisms reflected in 20 non-synonymous and two synonymous mutations were identified. The overall nucleotide diversity of PvDBP-II from the 124 CMB isolates was 0.0059 with 21 haplotypes identified (Hd = 0.91). The high ratio of non-synonymous to synonymous mutations suggests that PvDBP-II had evolved under positive selection. Population structure analysis of the CMB and eastern Myanmar isolates were optimally grouped into five sub-populations (K = 5). Polymorphisms of PvDBP-II display that CMB isolates were genetically diverse. Mutation, recombination, and positive selection promote polymorphism of PvDBP-II of P. vivax population. Although low-level genetic differentiation in eastern Myanmar was identified along with the more effective malaria control measures, the complexity of population structure in malaria parasites has maintained. In conclusion, findings from this study advance knowledge of the understanding of the dynamic of P. vivax population, which will contribute to guiding the rational design of a PvDBP-II based vaccine.

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Dynamic genetic diversity and population structure of Coreius guichenoti

ZooKeys ◽

10.3897/zookeys.1055.70117 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1055 ◽

pp. 135-148

Author(s):

Dongqi Liu ◽

Feng Lan ◽

Sicai Xie ◽

Yi Diao ◽

Yi Zheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Mitochondrial Dna ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Yangtze River ◽

Fish Passage ◽

The Yangtze River ◽

Artificial Breeding ◽

Significant Difference ◽

High Elevations

To investigate the genetic effects on the population of Coreius guichenoti of dam constructions in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, we analyzed the genetic diversity and population structure of 12 populations collected in 2009 and 2019 using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control regions. There was no significant difference in genetic diversity between 2009 and 2019 (P > 0.05), but the population structure tended to become stronger. Genetic differentiation (FST) among five populations (LX, BB, YB, SF and JA) collected in 2009 was not significant (P > 0.05). However, some populations collected in 2019 were significantly differentiated (P < 0.05), indicating that the population structure has undergone change. A correlation analysis showed that the genetic diversity of the seven populations collected in 2019 was significantly negatively correlated with geographical height (r = −0.808, P = 0.028), indicating that the populations at high elevations were more vulnerable than those at low elevations. In order to prevent the further decrease of genetic diversity and population resources, some conservation and restoration suggestions, such as fish passage and artificial breeding, are put forward.

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Genetic diversity and population structure of black cottonwood (Populus deltoides) revealed using simple sequence repeat markers

BMC Genetics ◽

10.1186/s12863-019-0805-1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Cun Chen ◽

Yanguang Chu ◽

Changjun Ding ◽

Xiaohua Su ◽

Qinjun Huang

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

River Basin ◽

Simple Sequence Repeat ◽

Populus Deltoides ◽

Sequence Repeat ◽

Black Cottonwood ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Simple Sequence

Abstract Background Black cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is one of the keystone forest tree species, and has become the main breeding parents in poplar hybrid breeding. However, the genetic diversity and population structure of the introduced resources are not fully understood. Results In the present study, five loci containing null alleles were excluded and 15 pairs of SSR (simple sequence repeat) primers were used to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of 384 individuals from six provenances (Missouri, Iowa, Washington, Louisiana, and Tennessee (USA), and Quebec in Canada) of P. deltoides. Ultimately, 108 alleles (Na) were detected; the expected heterozygosity (He) per locus ranged from 0.070 to 0.905, and the average polymorphic information content (PIC) was 0.535. The provenance ‘Was’ had a relatively low genetic diversity, while ‘Que’, ‘Lou’, and ‘Ten’ provenances had high genetic diversity, with Shannon’s information index (I) above 1.0. The mean coefficient of genetic differentiation (Fst) and gene flow (Nm) were 0.129 and 1.931, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 84.88% of the genetic variation originated from individuals. Based on principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and STRUCTURE cluster analysis, individuals distributed in the Mississippi River Basin were roughly classified as one group, while those distributed in the St. Lawrence River Basin and Columbia River Basin were classified as another group. The cluster analysis based on the population level showed that provenance ‘Iow’ had a small gene flow and high degree of genetic differentiation compared with the other provenances, and was classified into one group. There was a significant relationship between genetic distance and geographical distance. Conclusions P. deltoides resources have high genetic diversity and there is a moderate level of genetic differentiation among provenances. Geographical isolation and natural conditions may be the main factors causing genetic differences among individuals. Individuals reflecting population genetic information can be selected to build a core germplasm bank. Meanwhile, the results could provide theoretical support for the scientific management and efficient utilization of P. deltoides genetic resources, and promote the development of molecular marker-assisted breeding of poplar.

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Population Structure and Genetic Diversity in Korean Cowpea Germplasm Based on SNP Markers

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9091190 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1190 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eunju Seo ◽

Kipoong Kim ◽

Tae-Hwan Jun ◽

Jinsil Choi ◽

Seong-Hoon Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Principal Component ◽

Snp Markers ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Single Nucleotide ◽

Useful Knowledge ◽

Population Structure Analysis ◽

Group 3 ◽

Genetic Diversity Study

Cowpea is one of the most essential legume crops providing inexpensive dietary protein and nutrients. The aim of this study was to understand the genetic diversity and population structure of global and Korean cowpea germplasms. A total of 384 cowpea accessions from 21 countries were genotyped with the Cowpea iSelect Consortium Array containing 51,128 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). After SNP filtering, a genetic diversity study was carried out using 35,116 SNPs within 376 cowpea accessions, including 229 Korean accessions. Based on structure and principal component analysis, a total of 376 global accessions were divided into four major populations. Accessions in group 1 were from Asia and Europe, those in groups 2 and 4 were from Korea, and those in group 3 were from West Africa. In addition, 229 Korean accessions were divided into three major populations (Q1, Jeonra province; Q2, Gangwon province; Q3, a mixture of provinces). Additionally, the neighbor-joining tree indicated similar results. Further genetic diversity analysis within the global and Korean population groups indicated low heterozygosity, a low polymorphism information content, and a high inbreeding coefficient in the Korean cowpea accessions. The population structure analysis will provide useful knowledge to support the genetic potential of the cowpea breeding program, especially in Korea.

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Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Brachiaria (syn. Urochloa) Ecotypes from Uganda

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy10081193 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1193

Author(s):

Clementine Namazzi ◽

Julius Pyton Sserumaga ◽

Swidiq Mugerwa ◽

Martina Kyalo ◽

Collins Mutai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Crop Production ◽

Clustering Algorithm ◽

Principal Component ◽

Model Based Clustering ◽

High Gene ◽

Nj Tree ◽

Improvement Programs ◽

The Tropics

Brachiaria (syn. Urochloa) grass is an important tropical forage of African origin that supports millions of livestock and wildlife in the tropics. Overgrazing, conversion of grasslands for crop production and non-agricultural uses, and the introduction of improved forages have threatened the natural diversity of Brachiaria grass in Uganda. This study established a national collection of Brachiaria ecotypes in Uganda and analyzed them for genetic diversity and population structure using 24 simple sequence repeats (SSR) markers. These markers had a high discriminating ability with an average polymorphism information content (PIC) of 0.89 and detected 584 alleles in 99 ecotypes. Analysis of molecular variance revealed a high within populations variance (98%) indicating a high gene exchange or low genetic differentiation (PhiPT = 00.016) among the ecotype populations. The Bayesian model based clustering algorithm showed three allelic pools in Ugandan ecotypes. The principal component analysis (PCA) of ecotypes, and Neighbor-joining (NJ) tree of ecotypes and six commercial cultivars showed three main groups with variable membership coefficients. About 95% of ecotype pairs had Rogers’ genetic distance above 0.75, suggesting most of them were distantly related. This study confirms the high value of these ecotypes in Brachiaria grass conservation and improvement programs in Uganda and elsewhere.

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