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Long-distance dispersal by sea-drifted seeds has maintained the global distribution of Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (Convolvulaceae).

ABSTRACT: Ipomoea pes-caprae (Convolvulaceae), a pantropical plant with sea-drifted seeds, is found globally in the littoral areas of tropical and subtropical regions. Unusual long-distance seed dispersal has been believed to be responsible for its extraordinarily wide distribution; however, the actual level of inter-population migration has never been studied. To clarify the level of migration among populations of I. pes-caprae across its range, we investigated nucleotide sequence variations by using seven low-copy nuclear markers and 272 samples collected from 34 populations that cover the range of the species. We applied coalescent-based approaches using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods to assess migration rates, direction of migration, and genetic diversity among five regional populations. Our results showed a high number of migrants among the regional populations of I. pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis, which suggests that migration among distant populations was maintained by long-distance seed dispersal across its global range. These results also provide strong evidence for recent trans-oceanic seed dispersal by ocean currents in all three oceanic regions. We also found migration crossing the American continents. Although this is an apparent land barrier for sea-dispersal, migration between populations of the East Pacific and West Atlantic regions was high, perhaps because of trans-isthmus migration via pollen dispersal. Therefore, the migration and gene flow among populations across the vast range of I. pes-caprae is maintained not only by seed dispersal by sea-drifted seeds, but also by pollen flow over the American continents. On the other hand, populations of subsp. pes-caprae that are restricted to only the northern part of the Indian Ocean region were highly differentiated from subsp. brasiliensis. Cryptic barriers that prevented migration by sea dispersal between the ranges of the two subspecies and/or historical differentiation that caused local adaptation to different environmental factors in each region could explain the genetic differentiation between the subspecies.

SUBMITTER: Miryeganeh M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3995641 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Long-distance dispersal by sea-drifted seeds has maintained the global distribution of Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (Convolvulaceae).

Miryeganeh Matin M Takayama Koji K Tateishi Yoichi Y Kajita Tadashi T

PloS one 20140422 4

Ipomoea pes-caprae (Convolvulaceae), a pantropical plant with sea-drifted seeds, is found globally in the littoral areas of tropical and subtropical regions. Unusual long-distance seed dispersal has been believed to be responsible for its extraordinarily wide distribution; however, the actual level of inter-population migration has never been studied. To clarify the level of migration among populations of I. pes-caprae across its range, we investigated nucleotide sequence variations by using sev ...[more]

PMID: 24755614

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Project description:Ipomoeapes-caprae (L.) (IPC) is a common species in tropical and subtropical coastal areas and one of the world's most widely distributed plants. It has attracted researchers for its outstanding biological, ecological and medicinal values. It has been reported that the genetic diversity of IPCs located on different continents is very low because of their frequent gene flow. During the long journey of evolution, every aspect of the plant morphologies has evolved to the best adaptivity to the environment, seeking their survival and progeny expansion. However, the fundamental genetic characteristics of IPC and how their seed adapted to the success of population expansion remain unknown. In this study, the fundamental genetic characteristics, including the genome size and the chromosome number of IPC, were investigated. The results showed that IPC's genome size is approximately 0.98-1.08 GB, and the chromosome number is 2n=30, providing the basic information for further genome analysis. In order to decipher the long-distance dispersal secret of this species, the fruit and seed developments, seed morphology, and seed germination were extensively investigated and described. The results showed an exquisite adaptive mechanism of IPC seeds to fulfil the population expansion via ocean currents. The large cavity inside the seeds and the dense tomenta on the surface provide the buoyancy force for the seeds to float on the seawater. The hard seed coats significantly obstructed the water absorption, thus preventing the seed from germination during the dispersal. Meanwhile, the fully developed embryos of IPC also have physiological dormancy. The physical and physiological characteristics of IPC seeds provide insight into the mechanism of their long-distance dispersal across the oceans. Moreover, based on morphological observation and semi-section microscopy, the development pattern of IPC glander trichomes was described, and their physiological functions were also discussed.

Dataset Information

Long-distance dispersal by sea-drifted seeds has maintained the global distribution of Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (Convolvulaceae).

Publications

Long-distance dispersal by sea-drifted seeds has maintained the global distribution of Ipomoea pes-caprae subsp. brasiliensis (Convolvulaceae).

Similar Datasets

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