Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.

Molecular markers can help elucidate how neutral evolutionary forces and introduction history contribute to genetic variation in invaders. We examined genetic diversity, population structure and colonization patterns in the invasive Polygonum cespitosum, a highly selfing, tetraploid Asian annual int...

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Main Authors: Silvia Matesanz, Kathryn E Theiss, Kent E Holsinger, Sonia E Sultan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2014-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093217&type=printable
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author Silvia Matesanz
Kathryn E Theiss
Kent E Holsinger
Sonia E Sultan
author_facet Silvia Matesanz
Kathryn E Theiss
Kent E Holsinger
Sonia E Sultan
author_sort Silvia Matesanz
collection DOAJ
description Molecular markers can help elucidate how neutral evolutionary forces and introduction history contribute to genetic variation in invaders. We examined genetic diversity, population structure and colonization patterns in the invasive Polygonum cespitosum, a highly selfing, tetraploid Asian annual introduced to North America. We used nine diploidized polymorphic microsatellite markers to study 16 populations in the introduced range (northeastern North America), via the analyses of 516 individuals, and asked the following questions: 1) Do populations have differing levels of within-population genetic diversity? 2) Do populations form distinct genetic clusters? 3) Does population structure reflect either geographic distances or habitat similarities? We found low heterozygosity in all populations, consistent with the selfing mating system of P. cespitosum. Despite the high selfing levels, we found substantial genetic variation within and among P. cespitosum populations, based on the percentage of polymorphic loci, allelic richness, and expected heterozygosity. Inferences from individual assignment tests (Bayesian clustering) and pairwise FST values indicated high among-population differentiation, which indicates that the effects of gene flow are limited relative to those of genetic drift, probably due to the high selfing rates and the limited seed dispersal ability of P. cespitosum. Population structure did not reflect a pattern of isolation by distance nor was it related to habitat similarities. Rather, population structure appears to be the result of the random movement of propagules across the introduced range, possibly associated with human dispersal. Furthermore, the high population differentiation, genetic diversity, and fine-scale genetic structure (populations founded by individuals from different genetic sources) in the introduced range suggest that multiple introductions to this region may have occurred. High genetic diversity may further contribute to the invasive success of P. cespitosum in its introduced range.
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spelling doaj-art-58b023acb56041f18eaf8f89dec88cc72025-08-20T03:00:36ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032014-01-0194e9321710.1371/journal.pone.0093217Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.Silvia MatesanzKathryn E TheissKent E HolsingerSonia E SultanMolecular markers can help elucidate how neutral evolutionary forces and introduction history contribute to genetic variation in invaders. We examined genetic diversity, population structure and colonization patterns in the invasive Polygonum cespitosum, a highly selfing, tetraploid Asian annual introduced to North America. We used nine diploidized polymorphic microsatellite markers to study 16 populations in the introduced range (northeastern North America), via the analyses of 516 individuals, and asked the following questions: 1) Do populations have differing levels of within-population genetic diversity? 2) Do populations form distinct genetic clusters? 3) Does population structure reflect either geographic distances or habitat similarities? We found low heterozygosity in all populations, consistent with the selfing mating system of P. cespitosum. Despite the high selfing levels, we found substantial genetic variation within and among P. cespitosum populations, based on the percentage of polymorphic loci, allelic richness, and expected heterozygosity. Inferences from individual assignment tests (Bayesian clustering) and pairwise FST values indicated high among-population differentiation, which indicates that the effects of gene flow are limited relative to those of genetic drift, probably due to the high selfing rates and the limited seed dispersal ability of P. cespitosum. Population structure did not reflect a pattern of isolation by distance nor was it related to habitat similarities. Rather, population structure appears to be the result of the random movement of propagules across the introduced range, possibly associated with human dispersal. Furthermore, the high population differentiation, genetic diversity, and fine-scale genetic structure (populations founded by individuals from different genetic sources) in the introduced range suggest that multiple introductions to this region may have occurred. High genetic diversity may further contribute to the invasive success of P. cespitosum in its introduced range.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093217&type=printable
spellingShingle Silvia Matesanz
Kathryn E Theiss
Kent E Holsinger
Sonia E Sultan
Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
PLoS ONE
title Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
title_full Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
title_fullStr Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
title_full_unstemmed Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
title_short Genetic diversity and population structure in Polygonum cespitosum: insights to an ongoing plant invasion.
title_sort genetic diversity and population structure in polygonum cespitosum insights to an ongoing plant invasion
url https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0093217&type=printable
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AT kenteholsinger geneticdiversityandpopulationstructureinpolygonumcespitosuminsightstoanongoingplantinvasion
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