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Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae).

ABSTRACT: Geographical parthenogenesis describes the enigmatic phenomenon that asexual organisms have larger distribution areas than their sexual relatives, especially in previously glaciated areas. Classical models suggest temporary advantages to asexuality in colonization scenarios because of uniparental reproduction and clonality. We analyzed population genetic structure and self-fertility of the plant species Ranunculus kuepferi on 59 populations from the whole distribution area (European Alps, Apennines and Corsica). Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and five microsatellite loci revealed individual genotypes for all populations and mostly insignificant differences between diploid sexuals and tetraploid apomicts in all measures of genetic diversity. Low frequencies of private AFLP fragments/simple sequence repeat alleles, and character incompatibility analyses suggest that facultative recombination explains best the unexpectedly high genotypic diversity of apomicts. STRUCTURE analyses using AFLPs revealed a higher number of partitions and a stronger geographical subdivision for diploids than for tetraploids, which contradicts expectations of standard gene flow models, but indicates a reduction of genetic structure in asexuals. Apomictic populations exhibited high admixture near the sexual area, but appeared rather uniform in remote areas. Bagging experiments and analyses of pollen tube growth confirmed self-fertility for pollen-dependent apomicts, but self-sterility for diploid sexuals. Facultative apomixis combines advantages of both modes of reproduction: uniparental reproduction allows for rapid colonization of remote areas, whereas facultative sexuality and polyploidy maintains genetic diversity within apomictic populations. The density dependence of outcrossing limits range expansions of sexual populations.

SUBMITTER: Cosendai AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3656632 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae).

Cosendai A-C AC Wagner J J Ladinig U U Rosche C C Hörandl E E

Heredity 20130213 6

Geographical parthenogenesis describes the enigmatic phenomenon that asexual organisms have larger distribution areas than their sexual relatives, especially in previously glaciated areas. Classical models suggest temporary advantages to asexuality in colonization scenarios because of uniparental reproduction and clonality. We analyzed population genetic structure and self-fertility of the plant species Ranunculus kuepferi on 59 populations from the whole distribution area (European Alps, Apenni ...[more]

PMID: 23403961

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Project description:Worldwide, the genus Ranunculus includes approximately 600 species and is highly genetically diverse. Recent taxonomic reports suggest that the genus has a monophyletic origin, divided into two subgenera, and consists of 17 sections. The Central Asian country of Kazakhstan has 62 species of the genus that have primarily been collected in the central part of the country. The latest collection trips in southern parts of the country have led to the description of a wider distribution area for Ranunculus and the identification of a new species Ranunculus talassicus Schegol. et A.L. Ebel from Western Tien Shan. Therefore, in this study, attempts were made to assess the molecular taxonomic positions of R. talassicus and two other species endemic to the Central Asian region R. karkaralensis Schegol. and R. pskemensis V.N. Pavlov in relation to other species of the genus, using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) molecular genetic markers. The ITS-aligned sequences of 22 local Central Asian accessions and 43 accession sequences available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database allowed the construction of a maximum parsimony phylogenetic tree and a Neighbor-Net network. The results indicated that R. talassicus and R. pskemensis could be assigned to section Ranunculastrum. Additionally, an assessment of the network suggested that R. pskemensis was the rooting taxon for the group of species containing R. talassicus, and that R. illyricus L. and R. pedatus Waldst. & Kit. were founders of a prime rooting node for the Ranunculastrum section of the genus. The ITS-aligned sequences showed that R. karkaralensis was indifferent with respect to three other species in the Ranunculus section of the genus, i.e., R. acris L., R. grandifolius C.A. Mey., and R. subborealis Tzvelev. The study indicated that the assessments of ITS-based phylogenetic tree and Neighbor-Net network provided new insights into the taxonomic positions of three endemic species from Central Asia.

Dataset Information

Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae).

Publications

Geographical parthenogenesis and population genetic structure in the alpine species Ranunculus kuepferi (Ranunculaceae).

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