Abstract Detail

Population Genetics/Genomics

Edwards, Christine [1], Tessier, Brooke [2], Swift, Joel [3], Bassuner, Burgund [4], Linan, Alexander [5], Albrecht, Matthew [4], Yatskievych, George [6].

Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species.

Understanding genetic diversity and structure in a rare species is critical for prioritizing both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. One such rare species is Physaria filiformis (Brassicaceae), a threatened, winter annual plant species. The species has a naturally fragmented distribution, occupying three different soil types spread across four disjunct geographical locations in Missouri and Arkansas. The goals of this study were to understand: (1) whether factors associated with fragmentation and small population size (i.e., inbreeding, genetic drift or genetic bottlenecks) have reduced levels of genetic diversity, (2) how genetic variation is structured and which factors have influenced genetic structure, and (3) how much extant genetic variation of P. filiformis is currently publicly protected and the implications for the development of conservation strategies to protect its genetic diversity. Using 16 microsatellite markers, we genotyped individuals from 20 populations of P. filiformis from across its geographical range and one population of Physaria gracilis for comparison and analyzed genetic diversity and structure. Populations of P. filiformis showed comparable levels of genetic diversity to its congener, except a single population in northwest Arkansas showed evidence of a genetic bottleneck and two populations in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas showed lower genetic variation, consistent with genetic drift. Populations showed isolation by distance, indicating that migration is geographically limited, and analyses of genetic structure grouped individuals into seven geographically structured genetic clusters, with geographic location/spatial separation showing a strong influence on genetic structure. At least one population is protected for all genetic clusters except one in north-central Arkansas, which should therefore be prioritized for protection. Populations in the Ouachita Mountains were genetically divergent from the rest of P. filiformis; future morphological analyses are needed to identify whether it merits recognition as a new, extremely rare species.

Related Links:
published paper

1 - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Ave., St. Louis, MO, 63110, United States
2 - Winona State University, Minnesota, USA, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, , Winona, MN, 55987, USA
3 - Saint Louis University, Department of Biology, 3507 Laclede Ave, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA
4 - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, Saint Louis, MO, 63110, United States
5 - Missouri Botanical Garden, 4344 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63110, United States
6 - University Of Texas At Austin, Billie L. Turner Plant Resources Center, Main Bldg Rm 127, 110 Inner Campus Dr, Stop F0404, Austin, TX, 78712, United States

Keywords:
genetic structure
Brassicaeae
cryptic species
genetic diversity
conservation strategies.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: PGG2, Population Genetics and Genomics II
Location: /
Date: Wednesday, July 21st, 2021
Time: 10:45 AM(EDT)
Number: PGG2004
Abstract ID:1001
Candidate for Awards:None