Unveiling the origin of Quercus serrata subsp. mongolicoides found in Honshu,Japan, by using genetic and morphological analyses |
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Authors: | Mineaki Aizawa Kaya Maekawa Hiroko Mochizuki Hideyuki Saito Ko Harada Masahiko Kadomatsu Kazuya Iizuka Tatsuhiro Ohkubo |
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Institution: | 1. Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine‐machi, Utsunomiya Tochigi, 321‐8505, Japan;2. Graduate School of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, 350 Mine‐machi, Utsunomiya Tochigi, 321‐8505, Japan;3. Division of Environmental Resources, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita‐ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‐8589, Japan;4. Faculty of Agriculture, Ehime University, 3‐5‐7 Tarumi, Matsuyama, Ehime 790‐8566, Japan;5. Field Science Centre for Northern Biosphere, Forest Research Station, Hokkaido University, Kita‐ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060‐0809, Japan;6. Utsunomiya University Forests, Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University, 7556 Funyu, Shioya, Tochigi 329‐2441, Japan |
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Abstract: | Quercus mongolica is a tree found in temperate deciduous forests in east Asia. In Japan, Q. mongolica var. crispula is commonly found; moreover, an oak whose morphology is similar to that of Q. mongolica var. mongolica of the Asian continent has been found in certain areas of Honshu and Hokkaido. Recently, the oak found in Honshu was described as Q. serrata subsp. mongolicoides (QSM). However, genetic comparison between this oak and Q. mongolica var. mongolica of the Asian continent has not been performed; the origin of QSM is thus unknown. Therefore, we aimed to determine the origin of QSM by conducting nuclear microsatellite (nSSR), chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and leaf morphology analyses for the three taxa, as well as other congeners. The cpDNA variation overlapped among the three taxa, suggesting low discrimination ability for these taxa. Although morphological congruency was found between QSM and Q. mongolica var. mongolica, results of nSSR analyses showed that QSM contained a genetic admixture of Q. mongolica var. mongolica of the Asian continent and Q. mongolica var. crispula of Japan, bolstering an admixture hypothesis. The nSSR and cpDNA analyses suggested that Q. mongolica var. crispula can be the progenitor of Q. mongolica var. mongolica and harbors the ancestral cpDNA haplotypes. Therefore, we concluded that QSM might have been created by an admixture that likely occurred within Japan between Q. mongolica var. crispula and putative relict Q. mongolica var. mongolica, which might have diverged in or around Japan from Q. mongolica var. crispula during the late Pleistocene. |
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Keywords: | chloroplast DNA nuclear microsatellite Quercus mongolica var crispula Quercus mongolica var mongolica Quercus serrata subsp mongolicoides |
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