Phylogeography and Characteristics of Phosphorus Efficiency of Secondary Core Collection for Rice Landraces in Yunnan Province

[Objective] The paper was to explore the causes of phosphorus(P)efficiency of rice in Yunnan Province,and to provide strategy for ecological and environmental protection.[Method]Using 703 accessions of secondary core collections from 16 prefectures of five regions in Yunnan Province,two treatments of low available P(6.26mg/kg)versus normal P(available P 40mg/kg),and invalid P(available P 0.02 mg/kg)versus normal P(available P 70 mg/kg)were set,and zonal characteristics of phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P of rice landraces were investigated.[Result] Phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils from rice landraces of Yunnan Province had the similar identification indexes,viz.the relative indexes of four traits(tillering ability or effective panicle,root weight,biomass,and straw weight)could be the screening indexes of gene type of secondary core collection with phosphorus efficiency,which also reflected the zonal characteristics of phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils of 16 prefectures among five regions.On the contrary,the relative panicle length,node length under panicle,leaf length,leaf width and plant height could only be the assistant indexes of identification for phosphorus efficiency.There were similar zonal characteristics between phosphorus efficiency and the activation characteristics of invalid P in soils of rice landraces in Yunnan Province.[Conclusion] The study had great importance to the conservation and utilization of biological diversity,which would make contribution to second green revolution of "less input,multiple output,promote health,and protect the environment".     

Phylogeography and conservation of the populations of Zootoca vivipara carniolica

The lizard Zootoca vivipara has both oviparous and viviparous populations which belong to distinct clades. This study aims to elucidate the geographic distribution, phylogeography and conservation priority of the oviparous subspecies, Zootoca vivipara carniolica, that has recently been identified in Slovenia. We studied seven Slovenian populations, two northeastern Italian populations and five northwestern Italian populations. The seven cytochrome b haplotypes that we identified from the Slovenian and Italian oviparous populations form a monophyletic basal clade. The high homogeneity of the Slovenian and northeastern Italian populations (nucleotide diversity π=0.06%) is a striking contrast with the pattern observed in northwest Italy where each of the five populations studied presents a private haplotype (π=1.03%). The results obtained suggest that all the extant lineages of Z. v. carniolica have originated in an Italian refuge. The reproductive and phylogenetic distinctiveness of Z. v. carniolica clearly justifies conservation of its populations, especially in Italy where the highest genetic diversity and the most ancestral haplotype were observed.     

Cryptic genetic diversity in “widespread” Southeast Asian bird species suggests that Philippine avian endemism is gravely underestimated

Mistakenly classifying morphologically cryptic endemic species as populations of widespread species potentially interferes with the conservation of biodiversity because undetected endemics that are imperilled may lack appropriate protection. It also impedes the reconstruction of the evolutionary history of a taxon by obscuring the number and distributional limits of species. Here, we present genetic and phylogenetic evidence corroborated by morphology that Philippine populations of seven widespread, non-migratory passerine birds might represent unrecognized, distinct species. An extrapolation based on this finding suggests that the proportion of endemic bird species in the Philippines could be much higher than currently estimated. This high degree of cryptic diversity in a well-studied, volant taxon implies that large numbers of unrecognized species can be expected in less thoroughly studied groups. We predict that genetic investigations of insular populations of widespread species will frequently reveal unrecognized island endemics, and because of the vulnerability of island habitats and their biota, these taxa may be particularly susceptible to extinction.     

MtDNA genetic diversity and population history of a dwindling raptorial bird, the red kite (Milvus milvus)

The red kite (Milvus milvus) occurs in a relatively small area in the southwestern Palearctic region, with population strongholds in Central Europe. Following strong human persecutions at the beginning of the 20th century, populations have receded, particularly in peripheral areas and islands. In order to describe and compare levels of genetic diversity and phylogeographic patterns throughout its entire distribution in Europe, sequence variation of a 357 bps part of the mitochondrial DNA control region was assessed in eight populations and 105 individuals. Overall, results indicate that population declines have affected red kite mtDNA variation. We found low levels of genetic diversity (values of nucleotide diversity ranging from 0 in Majorca island to 0.0062 in Central Europe), with only 10 distinct haplotypes, separated by low levels of genetic divergence (mean sequence divergence = 0.75%). Highest haplotype and nucleotide diversities match with demographic expectations, and were found in Central European and Central Spanish samples, where present strongholds occur, and lowest values in the declining southern Spanish and insular samples. Φst estimates indicated moderate gene flow between populations. Phylogeographic patterns and mismatch distributions analyses suggest central European regions may have been colonized from southern glacial refugia (in the Italian or Iberian peninsulas). Interspecific phylogenetic comparisons and divergence date estimates indicated the genetic split between the red kite and its closely related species, the black kite (Milvus migrans), might be relatively recent. The low level of genetic variation found in the red kite mitochondrial control region, compared to the black kite, is likely the result of relatively recent divergence (associated with founder events), successive bottlenecks and small population sizes. As there are several ongoing projects aimed at reinforcing populations in countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy or Spain, our results may prove useful for the genetic management of the species.     

台湾竹叶青蛇的分类学研究

[目的]研究台湾竹叶青蛇的分类地位。[方法]从GenBank数据库中获得竹叶青蛇属及外群32个个体的400 bp左右的线粒体12S基因序列,并进行同源性分析。在形态学和亲缘地理学分析的基础上,通过构建分子系统发育树,确定台湾竹叶青蛇的分类地位。[结果]从形态学上来看,台湾竹叶青蛇与其他竹叶青属蛇类存在显著差异;从分子系统发育树上来看,台湾竹叶蛇青从竹叶青属独立出来,独成一支;台湾岛与大陆地理上充分隔离,台湾竹叶青蛇独立进化。[结论]台湾竹叶青蛇可能独立成属。     

珍稀濒危植物分子亲缘地理学研究进展

近年来,利用分子亲缘地理学,研究我国珍稀濒危植物地理格局分布或群体进化历史,探讨历史地质事件、地形地貌、气候变化及人为破坏对珍稀物种的形成、迁移和演化的影响成为国内外的一个研究热点.概述了现今我国珍稀濒危植物地理分布格局及成因,并总结了国内在该领域的研究进展和未来发展趋势,以期促进分子亲缘地理学研究工作的深入开展.     

Is the endangered Fennoscandian arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) population genetically isolated?

The arctic fox population in Fennoscandia is on the verge of going extinct after not being able to recover from a severe bottleneck at the end of the 19th century. The Siberian arctic fox population, on the other hand, is large and unthreatened. In order to resolve questions regarding gene flow between, and genetic variation within the populations, a 294 bp long part of the mitochondrial hypervariable region 1 was sequenced. This was done for 17 Swedish, 15 Siberian and two farmed foxes. Twelve variable nucleotide sites were observed, which resulted in 10 different haplotypes. Three haplotypes were found in Sweden and seven haplotypes were found in Siberia. An analysis of molecular variance showed a weak, but significant, differentiation between the populations. No difference in haplotype diversity was found between the populations. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the three Swedish haplotypes were not monophyletic compared to the Siberian haplotypes. These results indicate a certain amount of gene flow between the two populations, both before and after the bottleneck. Restocking the Fennoscandian population with arctic foxes from Siberia might therefore be a viable option.     

Population genetic diversity of the endemic Sardinian newt Euproctus platycephalus: implications for conservation

The Sardinian mountain newt Euproctus platycephalus, endemic to the island of Sardinia, (Italy), is considered a rare and threatened species and is classed as critically endangered by IUCN. It inhabits streams, small lakes and pools on the main mountain systems of the island. Threats from climatic and anthropogenic factors have raised concerns for the long-term survival of newt populations on the island. MtDNA sequencing was used to investigate the genetic population structure and phylogeography of this endemic species. Patterns of genetic variation were assessed by sequencing the complete Dloop region and part of the 12SrRNA, from 74 individuals representing four different populations. Analyses of molecular variance suggest that populations are significantly differentiated, and the distribution of haplotypes across the island shows strong geographical structuring. However, phylogenetic analyses also suggest that the Sardinian population consists of two distinct mtDNA groups, which may reflect ancient isolation and expansion events. Population structure, evolutionary history of the species and implications for the conservation of newt populations are discussed.     

Contrasting mitochondrial DNA diversity estimates in Austrian Scutovertex minutus and S. sculptus (Acari, Oribatida, Brachypylina, Scutoverticidae)

Important insights into the evolutionary and demographic history of species can be obtained from inter-specific comparisons of patterns and from determing the degree of genetic diversity. Analysis of sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene revealed remarkable differences in mtDNA diversity estimates and the distribution of mitochondrial lineages between the two closely related oribatid mite species Scutovertex sculptus and S. minutus in Austria. Divergence time estimates revealed an age of approximately 48-74 Myr for the split between the two Scutovertex species and age estimates of about 2-3 and 8-12 Myr for the most recent common ancestors of Austrian S. minutus and S. sculptus, respectively. Genetic diversity was considerably lower in S. minutus than in S. sculptus. A clear geographic sub-division into samples originating from north and south of the Central Alps became evident in S. minutus, whereas no phylogeographic structure was found in S. sculptus. Together with a high genetic diversity this is suggestive of a panmictic population and exceptional dispersal ability, most probably facilitated by phoresy on birds. The lack of sub-structure with regard to habitat types in S. sculptus suggests that this species can cope with a wide range of environmental conditions.     

History and selection imprinting on genetic relationships among bovine breeds analyzed trough five genes related with marbling

Many candidate genes have been suggested as responsible for marbling in beef cattle, for instance diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1, thyroglobulin, growth hormone, leptin and stearoyl CoA desaturase. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the polymorphisms of five SNPs of these candidate genes in 389 animals of 18 Bos Taurus and Bos indicus breeds. The obtained results were compared with ones previously obtained with STRs and loci related to milk production in these populations. Moreover we analyzed whether the phylogenies reconstructed using SNPs associated with marbling resulted in the known tree topology. The tree constructed with UPGMA, using genetic distance D_A, exhibit a topology partially consistent with the historical origin of breeds. The result observed in the Correspondence Analysis coincided with the topology of the UPGMA tree. This work allowed us to evaluate the five SNPs genetic diversity and to demonstrate that the grouping of the breeds may be the result of its history, selection process, or both at once.