scholarly journals Population Diversity and Genetic Structure Reveal Patterns of Host Association and Anthropogenic Impact for the Globally Important Fungal Tree Pathogen Ceratocystis manginecans

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Feifei Liu ◽  
Tuan A. Duong ◽  
Irene Barnes ◽  
Michael J. Wingfield ◽  
Shuaifei Chen

Species in the Ceratocystis manginecans complex are important fungal pathogens of plantation trees globally. The most important hosts include species of Eucalyptus, Acacia, Mangifera, and Punica. Despite their relevance and widespread occurrence, little is known regarding their population genetics and how this might relate to their host associations or geographic regions in which they occur. A global collection of 491 isolates representing the C. manginecans complex, from four different plant hosts and nine countries, were genotyped using microsatellite markers. Population genetic analyses using numerous tools were conducted to interrogate how their genetic diversity and structure might be affected by host or areas of occurrence. Results of genetic diversity studies showed that when grouping isolates into populations based on their host associations, the population on Eucalyptus was most diverse, and it also has a broad global distribution. When considering countries of origin as a basis for defining populations, the gene and genotypic diversity were highest in populations from China, Indonesia, and Brazil. In contrast, populations from Oman and Pakistan collected from Mangifera had the lowest genetic diversity and were clonal. Molecular variance, population differentiation, and network and structure analyses showed that the genetic structure of isolates in the C. manginecans complex is influenced by both host association as well as geographical isolation. Furthermore, the results reflected the movement of genotypes between plant hosts and geographic regions that have implications regarding the broad global distribution of this pathogen.

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fehintola V. Ajogbasile ◽  
Adeyemi T. Kayode ◽  
Paul E. Oluniyi ◽  
Kazeem O. Akano ◽  
Jessica N. Uwanibe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Malaria remains a public health burden especially in Nigeria. To develop new malaria control and elimination strategies or refine existing ones, understanding parasite population diversity and transmission patterns is crucial. Methods In this study, characterization of the parasite diversity and structure of Plasmodium falciparum isolates from 633 dried blood spot samples in Nigeria was carried out using 12 microsatellite loci of P. falciparum. These microsatellite loci were amplified via semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and fragments were analysed using population genetic tools. Results Estimates of parasite genetic diversity, such as mean number of different alleles (13.52), effective alleles (7.13), allelic richness (11.15) and expected heterozygosity (0.804), were high. Overall linkage disequilibrium was weak (0.006, P < 0.001). Parasite population structure was low (Fst: 0.008–0.105, AMOVA: 0.039). Conclusion The high level of parasite genetic diversity and low population structuring in this study suggests that parasite populations circulating in Nigeria are homogenous. However, higher resolution methods, such as the 24 SNP barcode and whole genome sequencing, may capture more specific parasite genetic signatures circulating in the country. The results obtained can be used as a baseline for parasite genetic diversity and structure, aiding in the formulation of appropriate therapeutic and control strategies in Nigeria.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247586
Author(s):  
Christine E. Edwards ◽  
Brooke C. Tessier ◽  
Joel F. Swift ◽  
Burgund Bassüner ◽  
Alexander G. Linan ◽  
...  

Understanding genetic diversity and structure in a rare species is critical for prioritizing both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. One such rare species is Physaria filiformis (Brassicaceae), a threatened, winter annual plant species. The species has a naturally fragmented distribution, occupying three different soil types spread across four disjunct geographical locations in Missouri and Arkansas. The goals of this study were to understand: (1) whether factors associated with fragmentation and small population size (i.e., inbreeding, genetic drift or genetic bottlenecks) have reduced levels of genetic diversity, (2) how genetic variation is structured and which factors have influenced genetic structure, and (3) how much extant genetic variation of P. filiformis is currently publicly protected and the implications for the development of conservation strategies to protect its genetic diversity. Using 16 microsatellite markers, we genotyped individuals from 20 populations of P. filiformis from across its geographical range and one population of Physaria gracilis for comparison and analyzed genetic diversity and structure. Populations of P. filiformis showed comparable levels of genetic diversity to its congener, except a single population in northwest Arkansas showed evidence of a genetic bottleneck and two populations in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas showed lower genetic variation, consistent with genetic drift. Populations showed isolation by distance, indicating that migration is geographically limited, and analyses of genetic structure grouped individuals into seven geographically structured genetic clusters, with geographic location/spatial separation showing a strong influence on genetic structure. At least one population is protected for all genetic clusters except one in north-central Arkansas, which should therefore be prioritized for protection. Populations in the Ouachita Mountains were genetically divergent from the rest of P. filiformis; future morphological analyses are needed to identify whether it merits recognition as a new, extremely rare species.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 134-144
Author(s):  
Amy Bodian ◽  
Bassiaka Ouattara ◽  
Awa Sarr ◽  
Boubacar Gano ◽  
Mbaye-Ndoye Sall ◽  
...  

Data on sorghum genetic diversity in Senegal are missing despite its importance in the food and feed in the country. In order to contribute to the sustainable in situ management of sorghum germplasm, we investigated its genetic diversity and structure in its marginal production areas. Investigations were focused on Thiès, Diourbel and Kédougou regions where sorghum landraces have been less investigated and genetic information on landraces is unknown. A total of 148 sorghum accessions representative of landraces used in production systems have been sampled and analyzed with 30 microsatellite markers. A total of 138 alleles have been recorded. The number of alleles per locus varied from 3 (7 loci) to 8 (3 loci). The observed heterozygosity varied from 0 to 0.62. The low genetic distance (0.12) was recorded between Thiès and Diourbel populations and the highest distance (0.22) between Thiès and Kédougou populations. Dendrogram obtained according to Neighbour joining classification model allowed the classification of sorghum accessions into three main groups. The Genetic structure is not function to the regions indicating that landraces are not specific to a region. The results are a first step toward the sustainable in situ management of genetic resources. Data on the whole range of existing diversity of sorghum in Senegal is an important key for its germplasm management; so, the genotyping must be extended to accessions from the whole country.


PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10327
Author(s):  
Ricardo M. Landínez-García ◽  
Juan Carlos Narváez ◽  
Edna J. Márquez

Prochilodus magdalenae is a freshwater fish endemic to the Colombian Magdalena-Cauca and Caribbean hydrographic basins. The genetic structure patterns of populations of different members of Prochilodus and the historic restocking of its depleted natural populations suggest that P. magdalenae exhibits genetic stocks that coexist and co-migrate throughout the rivers Magdalena, Cauca, Cesar, Sinú and Atrato. To test this hypothesis and explore the levels of genetic diversity and population demography of 725 samples of P. magdalenae from the studied rivers, we developed a set of 11 species-specific microsatellite loci using next-generation sequencing, bioinformatics, and experimental tests of the levels of diversity of the microsatellite loci. The results evidenced that P. magdalenae exhibits high genetic diversity, significant inbreeding coefficient ranging from 0.162 to 0.202, and signs of erosion of the genetic pool. Additionally, the population genetic structure constitutes a mixture of genetic stocks heterogeneously distributed along the studied rivers, and moreover, a highly divergent genetic stock was detected in Chucurí, Puerto Berrío and Palagua that may result from restocking practices. This study provides molecular tools and a wide framework regarding the genetic diversity and structure of P. magdalenae, which is crucial to complement its baseline information, diagnosis and monitoring of populations, and to support the implementation of adequate regulation, management, and conservation policies.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric J Fuchs ◽  
Allan Meneses Martínez ◽  
Amanda Calvo ◽  
Melania Muñoz ◽  
Griselda Arrieta-Espinoza

Wild crop relatives are an important source of genetic diversity for crop improvement. However, gene flow from cultivated species into wild species may prove detrimental. Introgression may lead to changes in wild species by incorporating alleles from domesticated species, which may increase the likelihood of extinction. The objective of the present study is to analyze how genetic diversity is distributed within and among populations of the wild rice species Oryza glumaepatula in Costa Rica. We also evaluated if there is evidence of introgression between wild rice and commercial varieties of O. sativa since it is cultivated commonly in close proximity to wild rice populations. Individuals from all known O. glumaepatula populations in Costa Rica were collected. With the aid of 455 AFLP markers, we characterized the genetic diversity and structure among seven populations in northern Costa Rica. Given the dominant nature of our markers, Bayesian estimates of genetic structure were used. We also compared genetic diversity estimates between O. glumaepatula individuals and O. sativa commercial rice. Our results show that O. glumaepatula populations in Costa Rica have moderately high levels of genetic diversity, comparable to those found in South American populations. This is likely a result of large population size. Despite the restricted distributions of this wild species, in Costa Rica most populations are composed of several thousand individuals, thus reducing the effects of drift on genetic diversity. Our results also found low but significant structure (\theta=0.03±0.001) among populations that are separated by ~10 Km within a single river. The position of the population along the river did not influence genetic diversity estimates or differences among populations. This river does not have a strong current and meadows or seeds may easily move upstream, thus homogenizing genetic diversity across populations regardless of river position. Ample gene flow through pollen, seeds or detached culms within the same river reduces genetic structure. A Bayesian structure analysis showed that individuals from two populations share a significant proportion of their genomes with O. sativa genome. These results suggest that the low levels of genetic structure found in these populations are likely the result of introgression from cultivated O. sativa populations. These results expose an important biohazard as recurrent hybridization may reduce genetic diversity of this wild rice species. Introgression may transfer commercial traits into the only populations of O. glumaepatula in Costa Rica, which in turn could alter genetic diversity and increase the likelihood of local extinction. These results have important implications for in situ conservation strategies of the only wild populations of O. glumaepatula in Costa Rica.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duy Dinh Vu ◽  
Syed Noor Muhammad Shah ◽  
Mai Phuong Pham ◽  
Van Thang Bui ◽  
Minh Tam Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Understanding the genetic diversity in threatened species that occur in forest remnants is necessary to establish efficient strategies for the species conservation, restoration and management. Panax vietnamensis Ha et Grushv. is medicinally important, endemic and endangered species of Vietnam. However, genetic diversity and structure of population is unknown due to lack of efficient molecular markers.Results: In this study, we employed Illumina HiSeq TM 4000 sequencing to analyze the transcriptomes of P. vietnamensis (roots, leaves and stems). A total of 23,741,783 raw reads were obtained and assembled, from which, 89,271 unigenes with an average length of 598.3191 nt were generated. During functional annotation, 31,686 unigenes were annotated in Gene Ontology categories, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, Swiss-Prot database, and Nucleotide Collection (NR/NT) database. In addition, 11,343 expressed sequence tag-simple sequence repeat (EST-SSRs) were detected. From 7,774 primer pairs, 101 were selected for polymorphism validation, in which, 20 primer pairs were successfully amplified to DNA fragments and significant amounts of polymorphism was observed within population. The nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were used to analyze genetic diversity and structure of the natural populations. The obtained results revealed that the shows high levels of genetic diversity in populations, the average observed and expected heterozygosity were H O = 0.422 and H E = 0.479. During the Bottleneck analysis using TPM and SMM models (p < 0.01) shows that targeted population is significantly heterozygote deficient. This suggests sign of bottleneck in all populations. Genetic differentiation among populations was moderate (F ST = 0.133) and indicating limited gene flow (Nm = 1.63). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed 63.17% of variation within individuals and 12.45% among populations. These results showed a moderate genetic structure of P. vietnamensis. STRUCTURE analysis and the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic means (UPGMA) tree revealed strong genetic structure and two genetic clusters related to geographical distances, as well. Conclusion: Our study will assist conservators in future conservation management, breeding, production and habitats restoration of the species.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (7) ◽  
pp. 1280-1292 ◽  
Author(s):  
Noel L. Knight ◽  
Niloofar Vaghefi ◽  
Julie R. Kikkert ◽  
Melvin D. Bolton ◽  
Gary A. Secor ◽  
...  

Cercospora leaf spot, caused by Cercospora beticola, is a highly destructive disease of Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris worldwide. C. beticola populations are usually characterized by high genetic diversity, but little is known of the relationships among populations from different production regions around the world. This information would be informative of population origin and potential pathways for pathogen movement. For the current study, the genetic diversity, differentiation, and relationships among 948 C. beticola isolates in 28 populations across eight geographic regions were investigated using 12 microsatellite markers. Genotypic diversity, as measured by Simpson’s complement index, ranged from 0.18 to 1.00, while pairwise index of differentiation values ranged from 0.02 to 0.42, with the greatest differentiation detected between two New York populations. In these populations, evidence for recent expansion was detected. Assessment of population structure identified two major clusters: the first associated with New York, and the second with Canada, Chile, Eurasia, Hawaii, Michigan, North Dakota, and one population from New York. Inferences of gene flow among these regions suggested that the source for one cluster likely is Eurasia, whereas the source for the other cluster is not known. These results suggest a shared origin of C. beticola populations across regions, except for part of New York, where population divergence has occurred. These findings support the hypothesis that dispersal of C. beticola occurs over long distances.


Oryx ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Krystal A. Tolley ◽  
Colin R. Tilbury ◽  
Jessica M. da Silva ◽  
Gary Brown ◽  
Yankho Chapeta ◽  
...  

Abstract The Critically Endangered Chapman's pygmy chameleon Rhampholeon chapmanorum is endemic to the low elevation rainforest of the Malawi Hills in southern Malawi. Much of this forest has been converted to agriculture and it was uncertain whether chameleon populations have persisted. We used current and historical satellite imagery to identify remaining forest patches and assess deforestation. We then surveyed forest patches for the presence of this chameleon, and assessed its genetic diversity and structure. We estimated that 80% of the forest has been destroyed since 1984, although we found extant populations of the chameleon in each of the patches surveyed. Differentiation of genetic structure was strong between populations, suggesting that gene flow has been impaired. Genetic diversity was not low, but this could be the result of a temporal lag as well as lack of sensitivity in the mitochondrial marker used. Overall, the impact of forest loss is assumed to have led to a large demographic decline, with forest fragmentation preventing gene flow.


2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (8) ◽  
pp. 551-556
Author(s):  
N.M. VanTassel ◽  
C.E. Beaver ◽  
D.A. Watkinson ◽  
T.J. Morris ◽  
D.T. Zanatta

Our study documents and analyzes the absence of genetic diversity and structure of the Mapleleaf (Quadrula quadrula (Rafinesque, 1820)) (Bivalvia: Unionidae) mussel in the Lake Winnipeg, Assiniboine River, and Red River drainages (Manitoba, Canada). Previous studies have revealed patterns of genetic diversity and structure in the Mississippi and Ohio river drainages, as well as in the Laurentian Great Lakes drainage. Genotypes from six variable microsatellite loci showed that the Q. quadrula population in Manitoba was significantly differentiated from the population in the Great Lakes drainage (Ontario, Canada), supporting the existence of two Designatable Units in Canada. Conversely, there was no evidence of genetic structure within the sampled range of Q. quadrula in Manitoba. The lack of genetic structure in Q. quadrula across its distribution in Manitoba reflected its post-glacial history and use of a vagile host and necessitates that efforts should be made to ensure connectivity and maintain gene flow across the region. Given that the evidence suggests that Manitoba Q. quadrula belong to a single genetic population, movement of hatchery-propagated juvenile Q. quadrula, adult Q. quadrula, or glochidia-carrying host catfish sourced from any location in Manitoba could be used to augment declining populations or at-risk locations in Manitoba.


2012 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 186-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangming Xie ◽  
Longbiao Guo ◽  
Guangjun Ren ◽  
Peisong Hu ◽  
Feng Wang ◽  
...  

Investigation of genetic diversity and the relationships among varieties and breeding lines is of great importance to facilitate parental selection in the development of inbred and hybrid rice varieties and in the construction of heterotic groups. The technology of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) is being advanced for the assessment of population diversity and genetic structures. We characterized 215 widely cultivated indica rice varieties developed in southern China and at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) using IRRI-developed SNP oligonucleotide pooled assay (OPA) to provide grouping information of rice mega-varieties for further heterotic pool study. The results revealed that the Chinese varieties were more divergent than the IRRI varieties. Two major subpopulations were clustered for the varieties using a model-based grouping method. The IRRI varieties were closely grouped and separated clearly from the majority of the Chinese varieties. The Chinese varieties were subclustered into three subgroups, but there was no clear evidence to separate the Chinese varieties into subgroups geographically, indicating a great degree of genetic integration of alleles and shared ancestries among those high-yielding modern varieties.


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