Genetic variation in wild populations of the tuber crop Amorphophallus konjac (Araceae) in central China as revealed by AFLP markers

Abstract. Sea sandwort (Honckenya peploides) was one of the first plants to successfully colonize and reproduce on the volcanic island Surtsey, formed in 1963 off the southern coast of Iceland. Using amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) markers, we examined levels of genetic variation and differentiation among populations of H. peploides on Surtsey in relation to populations on the nearby island Heimaey and from the southern coast of Iceland. Selected populations from Denmark and Greenland were used for comparison. In addition, we tested whether the effects of isolation by distance could be seen in the Surtsey populations. Using two primer combinations, we obtained 173 AFLP markers from a total of 347 plant samples. The resulting binary matrix was then analysed statistically. The main results include the following: (i) Surtsey had the highest proportion of polymorphic markers as well as a comparatively high genetic diversity (55.5% proportion of polymorphic loci, PLP; 0.1974 HE) and Denmark the lowest (31.8% PLP; 0.132 HE), indicating rapid expansion during an early stage of population establishment on Surtsey and/or multiple origins of immigrants; (ii) the total genetic differentiation (FST) among Surtsey (0.0714) and Heimaey (0.055) populations was less than half of that found among the mainland populations in Iceland (0.1747), indicating substantial gene flow on the islands; (iii) most of the genetic variation (79%, p < 0.001) was found within localities, possibly due to the outcrossing and subdioecious nature of the species; (iv) a significant genetic distance was found within Surtsey, among sites, and this appeared to correlate with the age of plant colonization; and (v) the genetic structure analysis indicated multiple colonization episodes on Surtsey, whereby H. peploides most likely immigrated from the nearby island of Heimaey and directly from the southern coast of Iceland.

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Evidence of between-population differences in natural selection on extra-floral nectaries of the shrub Anemopaegma album (Bignoniaceae)

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2015-0201 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (3) ◽

pp. 201-213

Author(s):

Anselmo Nogueira ◽

Pedro J. Rey ◽

Julio M. Alcántara ◽

Lúcia G. Lohmann

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Natural Selection ◽

Evolutionary Ecology ◽

Common Garden ◽

Phenotypic Selection ◽

Population Differences ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Neotropical Savanna ◽

Foliar Damage ◽

Floral Nectaries

Extra-floral nectaries (EFNs) are thought to represent protective adaptations against herbivory, but studies on the evolutionary ecology of EFNs have seldom been conducted. Here we investigate the patterns of natural selection and genetic variation in EFN traits in two wild populations of Anemopaegma album Mart. ex DC. (Bignoniaceae) that have been previously described as contrasting EFN – ant adapted localities in the Neotropical savanna (Cristália and Grão Mogol). In each population, four EFN descriptors, foliar damage, and reproductive success variables were measured per plant (100–120 plants per population). To estimate the heritability of EFN traits, we crossed reproductive plants in the field, and grew offspring plants in a common garden. The results showed that ant assemblages differed between populations, as did the range of foliar herbivory. Genetic variation and positive phenotypic selection in EFN abundance were only detected in the Cristália population, in which plants with more EFNs were more likely to reproduce. An evaluation of putative causal links conducted by path analysis corroborated the existence of phenotypic selection on EFNs, which was mediated by the herbivory process in the Cristália population. While EFNs could be currently under selection in Cristália, it is possible that past selection may have driven EFN traits to become locally adapted to the local ant assemblage in the Grão Mogol population.

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Evaluation of Genetic Variation Among Wild Populations and Local Varieties of Rice

Rice ◽

10.1007/s12284-011-9067-x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 4 (3-4) ◽

pp. 170-177 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Takashige Ishii ◽

Takashi Hiraoka ◽

Tomoyuki Kanzaki ◽

Masahiro Akimoto ◽

Rieko Shishido ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Local Varieties

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Genetic variation in native and farmed populations of Tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) in the Brazilian Amazon: regional discrepancies in farming systems

Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ◽

10.1590/0001-376520130007 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 85 (4) ◽

pp. 1439-1447 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Jonas Aguiar ◽

Horacio Schneider ◽

Fatima Gomes ◽

Jeferson Carneiro ◽

Simoni Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Amazon Basin ◽

Farming Systems ◽

Wild Populations ◽

The West ◽

Colossoma Macropomum ◽

Breeding Stock ◽

History Of

The tambaqui, Colossoma macropomum, is the most popular fish species used for aquaculture in Brazil but there is no study comparing genetic variation among native and farmed populations of this species. In the present study, we analyzed DNA sequences of the mitochondrial DNA to evaluate the genetic diversity among two wild populations, a fry-producing breeding stock, and a sample of fish farm stocks, all from the region of Santarém, in the west of the Brazilian state of Pará. Similar levels of genetic diversity were found in all the samples and surprisingly the breeding stock showed expressive representation of the genetic diversity registered on wild populations. These results contrast considerably with those of the previous study of farmed stocks in the states of Amapá, Pará, Piauí, and Rondônia, which recorded only two haplotypes, indicating a long history of endogamy in the breeding stocks used to produce fry. The results of the two studies show two distinct scenarios of tambaqui farming in the Amazon basin, which must be better evaluated in order to guarantee the successful expansion of this activity in the region, and the rest of Brazil, given that the tambaqui and its hybrids are now farmed throughout the country.

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Analysis of genetic variation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates in Central China

Journal of Veterinary Medical Science ◽

10.1292/jvms.15-0570 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 78 (4) ◽

pp. 641-648 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Can Liu ◽

Yibao Ning ◽

Binrui Xu ◽

Wenzhi Gong ◽

Dongdong Zhang

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Central China ◽

Respiratory Syndrome Virus

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Mhc polymorphisms fail to explain the heritability of phytohaemagglutinin-induced skin swelling in a wild passerine

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2009.0435 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 5 (6) ◽

pp. 784-787 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Camille Bonneaud ◽

Janet S. Sinsheimer ◽

Murielle Richard ◽

Olivier Chastel ◽

Gabriele Sorci

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Environmental Effects ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Genetic Determinants ◽

House Sparrows ◽

Additive Genetic Variation ◽

Significant Heritability ◽

Mhc Polymorphisms

Genetic estimates of the variability of immune responses are rarely examined in natural populations because of confounding environmental effects. As a result, and because of the difficulty of pinpointing the genetic determinants of immunity, no study has to our knowledge examined the contribution of specific genes to the heritability of an immune response in wild populations. We cross-fostered nestling house sparrows to disrupt the association between genetic and environmental effects and determine the heritability of the response to a classic immunological test, the phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-induced skin swelling. We detected significant heritability estimates of the response to PHA, of body mass and tarsus length when nestlings were 5 and 10 days old. Variation at Mhc genes, however, did not explain a significant portion of the genetic variation of nestling swelling to PHA. Our results suggest that while PHA-induced swelling is influenced by the nest of origin, the importance of additive genetic variation relative to non-additive genetic variation and the genetic factors that influence the former in wild populations still need to be identified for this trait.

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