Project description:Besides being a common weed, the presence of Echium plantagineum L. in food and feed commodities can represent a safety hazard due to their content in pyrrolizidine alkaloids. In this study, the complete chloroplast of E. plantagineum isolate BPTPS251 is described, being the first available plastome from an isolate belonging to the Echium genus. The chloroplast genome is 149,776 bp in length with 37.5% GC content, displaying a quadripartite structure that contains a pair of inverted repeats regions (25,754 bp each), separated by a large single-copy (80,978 bp) and a small single-copy (17,290 bp) regions. A total of 131 genes were predicted, including 37 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 86 protein-coding genes. The phylogenetic analysis confirmed the placement of E. plantagineum under the Boraginaceae family, belonging to the Boraginales order. This study will contribute to conservation, phylogenetic, and evolutionary studies, as well as DNA barcoding applications for food and feed safety purposes.
Project description:Paterson's curse (Echium plantagineum L. (Boraginaceae)), is an herbaceous annual native to Western Europe and northwest Africa. It has been recorded in Australia since the 1800's and is now a major weed in pastures and rangelands, but its introduction history is poorly understood. An understanding of its invasion pathway and subsequent genetic structure is critical to the successful introduction of biological control agents and for provision of informed decisions for plant biosecurity efforts. We sampled E. plantagineum in its native (Iberian Peninsula), non-native (UK) and invaded ranges (Australia and South Africa) and analysed three chloroplast gene regions. Considerable genetic diversity was found among E. plantagineum in Australia, suggesting a complex introduction history. Fourteen haplotypes were identified globally, 10 of which were co-present in Australia and South Africa, indicating South Africa as an important source population, likely through contamination of traded goods or livestock. Haplotype 4 was most abundant in Australia (43%), and in historical and contemporary UK populations (80%), but scarce elsewhere (< 17%), suggesting that ornamental and/or other introductions from genetically impoverished UK sources were also important. Collectively, genetic evidence and historical records indicate E. plantagineum in southern Australia exists as an admixture that is likely derived from introduced source populations in both the UK and South Africa.