青藏高原濒危植物唐古特大黄的遗传多样性

唐古特大黄(Rheum tanguticum)是中国传统的中藏药材,近几年由于生境的严重破坏,已濒临灭绝,并被列入濒危植物名单。为了探索唐古特大黄物种濒危的原因并保护其野生资源,本研究采集了9个居群87个个体的唐古特大黄样本,基于该物种的叶绿体基因trn S-G序列对其进行了遗传多样性研究。结果表明,唐古特大黄物种具有较高的遗传多样性水平(Ht=0.694),其中95.97%的遗传分化来自于居群间(G_(ST)=0.960),4.03%的遗传分化来自于居群内(Hs=0.028)。AMOVA分析也显示唐古特大黄居群间基因流较小(N_m=0.01),存在较高的遗传分化(F_(ST)=0.9631)。唐古特大黄较高的遗传多样性水平可能与该物种较长的进化史和生活史有关,居群间较高的遗传分化可能与高山地区特殊的地理环境和人类活动有关。根据研究结果,建议对唐古特大黄所有野生居群进行就地保护,同时收集种质资源开展异地繁殖工作,以保护物种的遗传多样性,维持其进化潜力。     

Genetic structure and phylogeography of a relict tree fern,Sphaeropteris brunoniana (Cyatheaceae) from China and Laos inferred from cpDNA sequence variations: Implications for conservation

In this study, we analyzed the genetic structure and phylogeography of Sphaeropteris brunoniana from China and Laos. Combining cpDNA trnL-trnF and atpB-rbcL sequence variations, five haplotypes were identified from the 10 investigated populations. Moderate haplotype diversity (h= 0.66580) and low nucleotide diversity (π= 0.23 × 10⁻³) were detected. The S. brunoniana in Yunnan region had much higher genetic diversity (h= 0.60195, π= 0.35 × 10⁻³) than that of Hainan–Laos (h= 0.00000, π= 0.00). A high level of genetic differentiation (94.74%) between the two regions was revealed by amova. Nested clade analysis identified two major clusters of the five haplotypes, one clade in the Yunnan region and the other in Hainan–Laos. The analysis indicated that restricted gene flow with isolation by distance and allopatric fragmentation were likely the major processes that shaped the spatial distribution of the haplotypes. The isolated distribution of clades implied the emergence of independent refugia of this species in each region during Quaternary glaciations. The Yunnan populations frequently contained an ancestral haplotype, and most of them harbored other descendent haplotypes. Based on the distribution pattern of haplotypes and the nested clade analysis results, the Yunnan region potentially had several refugia of this species during glacial periods, whereas the Hainan populations were probable new colonizations.     

Genetic structure and phylogeography of a relict tree fern,Sphaeropteris brunoniana (Cyatheaceae) from China and Laos inferred from cpDNA sequence variations:Implications for conservation

In this study, we analyzed the genetic structure and phylogeography of Sphaeropteris brunoniana from China and Laos. Combining cpDNA trnL-trnF and atpB-rbcL sequence variations, five haplotypes were identi- fied from the 10 investigated populations. Moderate haplotype diversity (h = 0.66580) and low nucleotide diver- sity (π = 0.23 × 10 ?3 ) were detected. The S. brunoniana in Yunnan region had much higher genetic diversity (h = 0.60195, π = 0.35 × 10 ?3 ) than that of Hainan–Laos (h = 0.00000, π = 0.00). A...     

Genetic variation and island biogreography: Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA variation in island populations of the Australian bush rat, Rattus fuscipes greyii

To understand the impact of various factors on the maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations, we need to focus on situations where at least some of these factors are removed or controlled. In this study, we used highly variable, presumably neutral, microsatellite and mtDNA markers to assess the nature of genetic variation in 14 island and two mainland populations of the Australian bush rat, where there is no migration between islands. Thus we are controlling for selection and gene flow. Both marker sets revealed low levels of diversity within the small island populations and extreme differentiation between populations. For six microsatellite loci, all of the small island populations had less genetic variation than the mainland populations; reduction in allelic diversity was more pronounced than loss of heterozygosity. Kangaroo Island, the large island population, had similar levels of diversity to the mainland populations. A 442 base pair (bp) section of the mtDNA control region was screened for variation by outgroup heteroduplex analysis/temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (OHA/TGGE). Only three of the 13 small island populations showed haplotypic diversity: Gambier (2), Waldegrave (2), and Eyere (3). The level of haplotypic diversity in the small island populations was similar to that on the mainland, most likely reflecting a recent population bottleneck on the mainland. In contrast, Kangaroo Island had 9 mtDNA haplotypes. The dominant factor influencing genetic diversity on the islands was island size. No correlation was detected between genetic diversity and the time since isolation or distance form the mainland. The combination of genetic drift within and complete isolation among the small island populations has resulted in rapid and extreme population divergence. Population pair-wise comparisons of allele frequency distributions showed significant differences for all populations for all loci (F _st = 0.11–0.84, R _st = 0.07–0.99). For the mtDNA control region, 92.6% of variation was apportioned between populations; only the Pearson islands shared a haplotype. Mantel tests of pair-wise genetic distance with pair-wise geographic distance showed no significant geographical clustering of haplotypes. However, population substructuring was detected within populations where sampling was conducted over a broader geographical range, as indicated by departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Thus substructuring in the ancestral population cannot be ruled out. The dominant evolutionary forces on the islands, after the initial founder event, are stochastic population processes such as genetic drift and mutation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Phylogeographic analysis of the endemic species Sibiraea angustata reveals a marginal refugium in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

The phylogeography of Sibiraea angustata, an endemic shrub species, was studied in the Qinghai–Tibet plateau (QTP). We investigated 466 individuals of S. angustata from 39 populations basically covering its total distribution area. Eight haplotypes (A–H) were detected by sequencing the intergenic chloroplast spacer trnS–trnG (600 bp), and one ancestral haplotype (A) was found to be widely distributed. The level of differentiation among populations was very high (G_ST=0.768; N_ST=0.850) and a significant phylogeographical structure was revealed (N_ST>G_ST). Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) similarily revealed a high level of differentiation among populations (84%, F_ST=0.842), indicating that little gene flow has occurred among populations mutually isolated by high mountains and rivers in the QTP. On the QTP platform there was only one widespread haplotype (A) in most populations, while populations along the eastern and southeastern edges had high diversity and unique haplotypes. Our results suggest that a glacial refugium may have been located on the eastern or southeastern edges of QTP during the last glaciation, and that interglacial and postglacial range expansion occurred from that refugium. Nested clade analysis (NCA) also suggests this scenario, which indicates that the current spatial distribution of cpDNA haplotypes and populations mainly resulted from long distance colonization, possibly coupled with subsequent or past fragmentation followed by range expansion and allopatric fragmentation.     

Clonal diversity and geographic structure in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurochaete squarrosa</Emphasis> (Pottiaceae): different sampling scale approach

This paper describes our investigation of genetic variation and clonal structure of the Mediterranean moss Pleurochaete squarrosa (Brid.) Lindb. (Pottiaceae), using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers and trnL_UAA (intron of plastid gene for Leu tRNA) sequence, choosing different sampling strategies and scales on 16 European populations. Moreover, the intercontinental distribution of two trnL haplotypes, previously found over a large area and including 24 populations in three continents, was also investigated. Despite the prevalent asexual reproduction, P. squarrosa shows a high level of genetic diversity. Some site features seem to affect the clonal structure at the local scale, influencing the relocation of detached fragments and the level of intermingling, but they do not substantially affect genetic diversity. The peculiar vegetative reproduction coupled with somatic mutation could partly account for the genetic variation detected. Genetic distances highlight geographic isolation and limited gene flow among populations. We found only two trnL haplotypes in Europe due to length polymorphism, but, over an intercontinental scale, only non-delete trnL was found in Africa and the USA. ISSR analysis within each population detected a higher genetic distance between the samples with different trnL haplotypes, suggesting the presence of two different genetic lineages within this species, geographically overlapping in the Mediterranean Basin.     

Genetic Diversity of the root‐knot nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii in Mulberry Based on the Mitochondrial COI Gene

This study explores the genetic diversity and structure of Meloidogyne enterolobii in mulberry in China. The COI mitochondrial gene (mtCOI) in M.enterolobii populations in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hunan Provinces was PCR‐amplified, sequenced, and analyzed for genetic diversity. The total number of variations, haplotypes (Hap), the average number of nucleotide differences (k), haplotype diversity (H), and nucleotide diversity (π) of mtCOI were 25, 11, 4.248, 0.900, and 0.00596, respectively. Insignificant differences in Fst value (0.0169) and a high level of gene flow (7.02) were detected among the 19‐mulberry root‐knot nematode populations, and high genetic variation within each population and a small genetic distance among populations were observed. Both phylogenetic analyses and network mapping of the 11 haplotypes revealed a dispersed distribution pattern of 19 mulberry root‐knot nematode populations and an absence of branches strictly corresponding to the 19 range sampling sites. The neutrality test and mismatch analysis indicated that mulberry root‐knot nematode populations experienced a population expansion in the past. The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed that the genetic differentiation of M. enterolobii was mainly contributed by the variation within each group. No significant correlation was found between the genetic distance and geographical distance of M. enterolobii populations. The findings of this study provide a profound understanding of the M. enterolobii population and will inform the development of strategies to combat and manage root‐knot nematodes in mulberry.     

Diversity and structure of fragmented populations of a threatened endemic cyprinodontid (Aphanius sophiae) inferred from genetics and otolith morphology: Implications for conservation and management

The assessment of population structure and genetic diversity is crucial for the management and conservation of threatened species. Natural and artificial barriers to dispersal (i.e., gene flow) increase populations’ differentiation and isolation by reducing genetic exchange and diversity. Freshwater ecosystems are highly fragmented because of human activities. Threatened species with small population sizes are more sensitive to habitat fragmentation effects. Here, we investigate the genetic population structure and gene flow among seven populations of Aphanius sophiae in the Kor Basin by using sequences of the complete Cyt b gene and otolith morphometry. The Cyt b gene showed low level of genetic variation, only 4.12% of the identified sites were variable, and 2.42% were parsimony informative. Overall, haplotype diversity was low to moderate and nucleotide diversity was low to extremely low. Fish populations exhibited high levels of genetic differentiation, suggesting limited gene flow among them. These differences were obtained not only among geographically distant populations, but also among neighboring localities. Genetic population structure was supported by the AMOVA analysis and by the haplotype network (only one of 21 haplotypes were shared by two localities). Otolith morphometric analysis was in agreement with genetic results, the two most distant and isolated populations were clearly separated, and genetically close populations showed less differences in morphometry. A significant pattern of isolation by distance was also detected among A. sophiae populations, with genetic distance more correlated with hydrological distance than with geographic distance. Results suggested that limited gene flow due to habitat fragmentation is an important factor contributing to genetic structuring and to the loss of genetic variation of A. sophiae populations. Aphanius sophiae population structure seems to be the result of habitat fragmentation and water pollution, but other factors such as introduced species should be considered. Given the high degree of genetic structuring, the definition of conservation groups is of particular importance for A. sophiae, which should be considered endangered according to the IUCN criteria. Conservation plans must recognize the genetic independence of populations and manage separately preventing the loss of locally adapted genotypes.     

淮河水系日本沼虾群体遗传结构和系统演化的线粒体COI序列分析

测定了淮河水系17个日本沼虾(Macrobrachium nipponense)野生群体共248个个体的线粒体细胞色素氧化酶亚基I(COI)部分序列,获得623 bp核苷酸片段,包括48个变异位点,定义了31个单倍型,共享单倍型有12个,整体单倍型多样性和平均核苷酸多样性均处于中间水平。AMOVA分析表明,17个群体间的遗传分化系数Fst=0.041 3(P0.05),群体间遗传分化较小。Kimura 2-paramter遗传距离在五河与焦岗湖、花家湖及瓦埠湖群体间最大,为0.014,在高邮和邵伯湖群体之间最小,为0.003。MP系统树与单倍型进化网络关系图具有较高的一致性,31个单倍型被分为3个进化枝,其中一个进化枝主要以下游群体为主,另外2个进化枝主要以中游群体为主。群体中性检验、错配分析表明,淮河日本沼虾近期曾经历过种群扩张。     

Geographical variation of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae) populations revealed by mitochondrial COI gene in China

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is one of the most serious pests for cruciferous vegetable growers worldwide. To determine the relations of local and regional populations, we performed a mitochondrial COI gene analysis of eight P. xylostella populations from different locations in or around the Qinling Mountains and two other populations, one from Beijing and the other from Guangdong. The mtDNA divergences among the 10 populations were high, and 32 haplotypes were detected in 149 adults. The mean haplotype divergence was 1.7% (range 0.04–4.1%). Haplotype diversity in the 10 populations varied from 0.571 (AK) to 0.885 (HZ), and the nucleotide diversity varied from 0.00286 (AK) to 0.0117 (HZ). The results also did not show significant correlation between genetic and geographical distance. Also, the effective number of migrants between populations (Nm) ranged from 1.43 to infinite, suggesting that population exchange and gene flow among the P. xylostella populations occurred. However, principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the TB and TC populations were differentiated from other populations, indicating possible across‐mountain barrier to migration and gene flow.     

Effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity and gene flow among the Homidia socia (Collembola: Entomobryidae) populations in the Thousand Island Lake

In the present study, partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of 22 island populations of the springtail Homidia socia in the Thousand Island Lake were sequenced. Across all sequences, 37 haplotypes were identified for the 510‐bp mitochondrial (mt) DNA COI gene. Haplotype 2 was the most common, and was distributed in the most of the 22 island populations. Haplotype diversity ranged from 0.065 to 0.733, and the total genetic diversity was 0.56216. The genetic characteristics of the 22 island populations were analyzed using the fixation index and gene flow, with values of 0.00043–0.94900 and 0.02703–703.72540, respectively. Comparison between (island area and isolations) with population genetic diversity revealed that there were no significant correlations between them, except for a significant correlation between the number of haplotypes and island area. Mantel tests showed that there was no significant correlation between geographic distance and genetic distance among various groups. All the results indicated that there were no obvious relationships between island characteristics and the genetic diversity of the springtails. We consider that the low dispersal capacity of springtails and the island patches surrounded by water in the Thousand Island Lake are the major factors affecting the genetic diversity of H. socia.     

中国南方茶棍蓟马地理种群遗传分化分析

【目的】基于mtDNA COI和COⅡ的联合序列,探讨中国南方茶棍蓟马Dendrothrips minowai地理种群的遗传多样性与遗传分化。【方法】利用MEGA 6.0, DnaSP 5.10和Arlequin 3.5.2.2等软件对中国南方茶棍蓟马8个地理种群遗传多样性、遗传分化、基因流、分子变异及地理距离与遗传距离的相关性进行分析,并推断群体演化历史。【结果】茶棍蓟马mtDNA COI和COⅡ序列均具有明显的AT偏好性,COI和COⅡ联合序列的长度为1 146 bp,共有22个单倍型。中国南方茶棍蓟马总群体遗传多样性较高,表现出高单倍型多样性(Hd=0.924)和低核苷酸多样性(π=0.00600)。8个地理种群总群体的遗传分化程度高(F_ST=0.84830),基因交流水平低(Nm=0.040),群体可能由于遗传漂变而发生明显分化。AMOVA分析显示,茶棍蓟马种群的遗传变异主要来自组间种群(F_CT=0.84922);Mantel检测显示地理距离与遗传距离存在显著的正相关(r=0.5029, P<0.01)。中性检验结果表明,除云南两个地理种群外的其他地理种群近期可能经历了种群扩张。【结论】中国南方茶棍蓟马地理种群遗传多样性较高,具有明显的遗传分化,基因交流较少;地理距离可能是影响茶棍蓟马地理种群遗传分化的主要因素之一。     

The importance of environmental heterogeneity and spatial distance in generating phylogeographic structure in edaphic specialist and generalist tree species of Protium (Burseraceae) across the Amazon Basin

Aim Edaphic heterogeneity may be an important driver of population differentiation in the Amazon but remains to be investigated in trees. We compared the phylogeographic structure across the geographic distribution of two Protium (Burseraceae) species with different degrees of edaphic specialization: Protium alvarezianum, an edaphic specialist of white‐sand habitat islands; and Protium subserratum, an edaphic generalist found in white sand as well as in more widespread soil types. We predicted that in the edaphic specialist, geographic distance would structure populations more strongly than in the edaphic generalist, and that soil type would not structure populations in the edaphic generalist unless habitat acts as a barrier promoting population differentiation. Location Tropical rain forests of the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon, Guyana and French Guiana. Methods We sequenced 1209–1211 bp of non‐coding nuclear ribosomal DNA (internal transcribed spacer and external transcribed spacer) and a neutral low‐copy nuclear gene (phytochrome C) from P. subserratum (n = 65, 10 populations) and P. alvarezianum (n = 19, three populations). We conducted a Bayesian phylogenetic analysis, constructed maximum parsimony haplotype networks and assessed population differentiation among groups (soil type or geographic locality) using analysis of molecular variance and spatial analysis of molecular variance. Results The edaphic specialist exhibited considerable genetic differentiation among geographically distant populations. The edaphic generalist showed significant genetic differentiation between the Guianan and Amazon Basin populations. Within Peru, soil type and not geographic distance explained most of the variation among populations. Non‐white‐sand populations in Peru exhibited lower haplotype/nucleotide diversity than white‐sand populations, were each other’s close relatives, and formed an unresolved clade derived from within the white‐sand populations. Main conclusions Geographic distance is a stronger driver of population differentiation in the edaphic specialist than in the generalist. However, this difference did not appear to be related to edaphic generalism per se as adjacent populations from both soil types in the edaphic generalist did not share many haplotypes. Populations of the edaphic generalist in white‐sand habitats exhibited high haplotype diversity and shared haplotypes with distant white‐sand habitat islands, indicating that they have either efficient long‐distance dispersal and/or larger ancestral effective population sizes and thus retain ancestral polymorphisms. These results highlight the importance of edaphic heterogeneity in promoting population differentiation in tropical trees.     

POPULATION STRUCTURE OF DIPODOMYS INGENS (HETEROMYIDAE): THE ROLE OF SPATIAL HETEROGENEITY IN MAINTAINING GENETIC DIVERSITY

The giant kangaroo rat, Dipodomys ingens (Heteromyidae), is an endangered rodent that inhabits approximately 3% of its estimated historic range. Its current distribution is centered in two geographic areas, situated about 150 km apart, in south-central California. We sequenced a 293 base-pair fragment at the 5' end of the control region in 95 giant kangaroo rats from nine localities to examine the genetic structure of extant populations. We determine that mutations in this section of the control region follow a negative binominal distribution, rather than a Poisson. However, the distance between haplotypes is small enough that the difference between a tree that corrects for the non-Poisson distribution of mutations and one that does not, is minimal. This implies that the use of methods that assume a Poisson distribution of mutations, such as those based on coalescent theory, are justified. We find that the correlation between levels of genetic diversity and estimated census size is poor. This suggests that population sizes have fluctuated over time or that populations have not been isolated from one another, or both. We also examine the hierarchical structure of populations and find that the southern populations are not genetically subdivided but that there is significant subdivision between northern and southern populations and between some northern subpopulations. The phylogeographic relationship between northern and southern populations can primarily be attributed to isolation by distance, although the time since divergence between them appears to be less than the age of either. To examine the phylogeographic relationships in more detail we construct a minimum spanning tree based on Tamura-Nei gamma-corrected distances and superimpose on it the geographic position of haplotypes. This reveals that there is more genetic distance between some northern haplotypes than between any northern and southern haplotypes, despite the geographic distance separating north from south and the larger size of the southern population. It also reveals that one northern population, in the Panoche Valley, contains old allelic lineages and shares ancestral polymorphism with several other populations. It also shows that two, small, geographically remote populations contain a surprising amount of genetic diversity, but that different population/geographic processes have affected the structure of that diversity. We estimate the average migration rate among all populations to be 7.5 per generation, and conclude that a disproportionate number of migration events involve gene flow with one northern population, the Panoche Valley. We find evidence for the hypothesis that there has been an increase in population size in the remaining populations in the north and suggest that the Panoche Valley could play a role in these expansions. Finally we discuss the probabilitiy that the genetic structure of the southern populations has been affected by fluctuations in size. These results are briefly compared to other studies on the genetic structure of rodent populations.     

Genetic variation and population structure of swimming crab (Portunus trituberculatus) inferred from mitochondrial control region

Genetic variation and population structure in Portunus trituberculatus along the coast of China were revealed according to 617 bp of mitochondrial DNA control region. 90 polymorphic sites defined 53 distinct haplotypes, showing a moderately high diversity among 72 individuals sampled from eight localities. Neighbor-joining tree, statistics analyses of gene flow and genetic differentiation index indicated two populations from Beihai and Laizhou had differentiated. The population from Yingkou, Dandong, Laizhou and Beihai had smaller genetic diversity compared to that from Ningbo, Lianyungang, Qingdao and Japan according to the genetic distance. And mantel test showed significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographic distance for P. trituberculatus. TCS parsimony network suggested that all the animals sampled were probably the result of recent divergence from a common ancestral haplotype but for Laizhou population. Moreover, the haplotype distribution appeared to correlate with a recent colonization followed by localized genetic differentiation. Mismatch distribution results suggested that Ningbo, Yingkou, Qingdao, Lianyungang and Japan populations, particularly Dandong population had experienced a sudden demographic or spatial expansion. The Pleistocene glaciations might contribute to this process.     

中国东部沿海水仙归化群体的遗传多样性

为揭示我国东部归化水仙(Narcissus tazetta var. chinensis)的群体遗传多样性,利用2个叶绿体基因mat K和trn H-psb A片段对采自沪、浙、闽的5个代表群体的49株水仙进行了评估。结果表明,双基因联合序列的总长为1443bp,共定义6个单倍型,各归化群体的遗传多样性水平为DLSYPTDNJD=ZZCMD。AMOVA分析表明,群体内变异为遗传变异的主要来源(91.98%),群体间的遗传分化较低(Fst=0.080 22)。群体物种水平上的谱系结构不显著(Nst=0.020Gst=0.031;P0.05)。Mantel检验表明水仙群体间的遗传距离与地理距离呈显著的线性相关(r=0.929,P=0.02 0.05)。中性检验和错配分布分析结果均暗示水仙群体背离了快速扩张模型的假设。单倍型分布的中介网络图结合系统发育NJ树均将所有群体划分为2大分支。因此,我国东部沿海水仙归化群体整体遗传多样性水平较低,各群体间遗传分化较弱,遗传变异主要来自群体内,物种近期未经历扩张事件,可能是基因流受海岛隔离、自身生物学特征、生境异质性与及人为干扰的综合作用影响。     

Phylogeography suggest the Yili Valley being the glacial refuge of the genus Ixiolirion (Amaryllidaceae) in China

The Pleistocene climatic oscillations had profound effects on the demographic history and genetic diversification of plants in arid north-west China where some glacial refugia have been recognized. The genus Ixiolirion comprises three species, of which two, I. tataricum and I. songaricum (endemic), occur in China. In some locations they are sympatric. We investigated their population structure and population history in response to past climatic change using a sample of 619 individuals in 34 populations with nITS and ptDNA sequences. A significant genetic divergence between the two species was supported by a high level of pairwise genetic differentiation, very low gene flow, and phylogenetic analysis showing that I. songaricum haplotypes were monophyletic, whereas those of I. tataricum were polyphyletic. We found significant differentiation and phylogeographic structure in both species. The split of the two species was dated to the late Miocene (～7?Ma), but deep divergence occurred in the mid-late Quaternary. A similar haplotype distribution pattern was found in both species: one to two dominant haplotypes across most populations, with unique haplotypes in a few populations or a geographic group. The genetic diversity, haplotype number, and haplotype diversity decreased from the Yili Valley to the central Tianshan and Barluk Mountains. Additionally, ptDNA analysis showed that I. tataricum diversified in the eastern Tianshan and Barluk Mountains, which might be due to physical barriers to long distance seed dispersal such as desert. In conclusion, our results indicated that the Yili Valley was likely a glacial refuge for Ixiolirion in China, with postglacial dispersal from the Yili Valley eastward to the eastern Tianshan Mountains, and northward to the Barluk Mountains. The climatic changes in the Miocene and Pleistocene and geographic barriers are important factors driving species divergence and differentiation of Ixiolirion and other taxa.     

Maintenance of genetic diversity in Cordia africana Lam., a declining forest tree species in Ethiopia

We assessed genetic variation in a total of 22 populations of the tree species Cordia africana Lam. in Ethiopia and analyzed the country-wide impact of population history, forest disturbance and alteration of land use on extant intraspecific diversity. Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) and chloroplast microsatellite markers were investigated. The analyses of the AFLP data revealed high diversity in all investigated populations: the percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) ranged from 62.2% to 92.2% and Nei's gene diversity from 0.220 to 0.320 within the populations. The mean PPL and the mean diversity within populations were 85.7% and 0.287, respectively. The analysis of molecular variance revealed a moderate level of differentiation (Φ_ST = 0.07, p < 0.001) among the populations. The Mantel test proved a significant but low correlation (r = 0.31, p < 0.001) between the geographic distance and the genetic differentiation matrices. Only three different cpDNA haplotypes were observed; no more than two haplotypes were found in any population. The dominant haplotype with an overall frequency of 81% was observed in all populations. The level of differentiation among the populations was comparatively low at chloroplast DNA (G _ST = 0.18, R _ST, N _ST = 0.22). The observed patterns and levels of genetic variation within and among the populations indicate that efficient gene flow via pollen and seed is likely to be the main factor contributing to the maintenance of genetic diversity in natural and disturbed conditions.     

Genetic variation within and among populations of Arabidopsis thaliana.

We investigated levels of nucleotide polymorphism within and among populations of the highly self-fertilizing Brassicaceous species, Arabidopsis thaliana. Four-cutter RFLP data were collected at one mitochondrial and three nuclear loci from 115 isolines representing 11 worldwide population collections, as well as from seven commonly used ecotypes. The collections include multiple populations from North America and Eurasia, as well as two pairs of collections from locally proximate sites, and thus allow a hierarchical geographic analysis of polymorphism. We found no variation at the mitochondrial locus Nad5 and very low levels of intrapopulation nucleotide diversity at Adh, Dhs1, and Gpa1. Interpopulation nucleotide diversity was also consistently low among the loci, averaging 0.0014. gst, a measure of population differentiation, was estimated to be 0.643. Interestingly, we found no association between geographical distance between populations and genetic distance. Most haplotypes have a worldwide distribution, suggesting a recent expansion of the species or long-distance gene flow. The low level of polymorphism found in this study is consistent with theoretical models of neutral mutations and background selection in highly self-fertilizing species.     

Minimal sharing of Y-chromosome STR haplotypes among five endogamous population groups from western and southwestern India

We attempt to address the issue of genetic variation and the pattern of male gene flow among and between five Indian population groups of two different geographic and linguistic affiliations using Y-chromosome markers. We studied 221 males at three Y-chromosome biallelic loci and 184 males for the five Y-chromosome STRs. We observed 111 Y-chromosome STR haplotypes. An analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) based on Y-chromosome STRs showed that the variation observed between the population groups belonging to two major regions (western and southwestern India) was 0.17%, which was significantly lower than the level of genetic variance among the five populations (0.59%) considered as a single group. Combined haplotype analysis of the five STRs and the biallelic locus 92R7 revealed minimal sharing of haplotypes among these five ethnic groups, irrespective of the similar origin of the linguistic and geographic affiliations; this minimal sharing indicates restricted male gene flow. As a consequence, most of the haplotypes were population specific. Network analysis showed that the haplotypes, which were shared between the populations, seem to have originated from different mutational pathways at different loci. Biallelic markers showed that all five ethnic groups have a similar ancestral origin despite their geographic and linguistic diversity.