Multiple markers, niche modelling, and bioregions analyses to evaluate the genetic diversity of a plant species complex

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Research Article

Maikel Reck-Kortmann¹  Caroline Turchetto¹  Loreta B. Freitas¹  Ana Lúcia A. Segatto¹ 

[1] Laboratory of Molecular Evolution, Department of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, P.O. Box 15053, 91501-970, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;

关键词: Adaptive radiation;    Hybridization;    Pampas;    Phylogeography;    Solanaceae;    Speciation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12862-017-1084-y

 received in 2017-05-09, accepted in 2017-11-17,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe classification of closely related plants is not straightforward. These morphologically similar taxa frequently maintain their inter-hybridization potential and share ancestral polymorphisms as a consequence of their recent divergence. Under the biological species concept, they may thus not be considered separate species. The Petunia integrifolia complex is especially interesting because, in addition to the features mentioned above, its taxa share a pollinator, and their geographical ranges show multiple overlaps. Here, we combined plastid genome sequences, nuclear microsatellites, AFLP markers, ecological niche modelling, and bioregions analysis to investigate the genetic variability between the different taxa of the P. integrifolia complex in a comprehensive sample covering the entire geographical range of the complex.ResultsResults from molecular markers did not fully align with the current taxonomic classification. Niche modelling and bioregions analyses revealed that taxa were associated with different ecological constraints, indicating that the habitat plays an important role in preserving species boundaries. For three taxa, our analyses showed a mostly conserved, non-overlapping geographical distribution over time. However, for two taxa, niche modelling found an overlapping distribution over time; these taxa were also associated with the same bioregions.ConclusionscpDNA markers were better able to discriminate between Petunia taxa than SSRs and AFLPs. Overall, our results suggest that the P. integrifolia complex represents a continuum of individuals from distant and historically isolated populations, which share some morphological traits, but are established in four different evolutionary lineages.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017