A rangewide herbarium-derived dataset indicates high levels of gene flow in black cherry (Prunus serotina).

Lauren Konrade,Joey Shaw,James Beck

doi:10.1002/ece3.4719

Lauren Konrade, Joey Shaw + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4719

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Abstract

Isolation by Distance (IBD) is a genetic pattern in which populations geographically closer to one another are more genetically similar to each other than populations which are farther apart. Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) (Rosaceae) is a forest tree species widespread in eastern North America, and found sporadically in the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Guatemala. IBD has been studied in relatively few North American plant taxa, and no study has rigorously sampled across the range of such a widespread species. In this study, IBD and overall genetic structure were assessed in eastern black cherry (P. serotina Ehrh. var. serotina), the widespread variety of eastern North America. Eastern North America. Prunus serotina Ehrh. var. serotina (Rosaceae). Dense sampling across the entire range of eastern black cherry was made possible by genotyping 15 microsatellite loci in 439 herbarium samples from all portions of the range. Mantel tests and STRUCTURE analyses were performed to evaluate the hypothesis of IBD and genetic structure. Mantel tests demonstrated significant but weak IBD, while STRUCTURE analyses revealed no clear geographic pattern of genetic groups. The modest geographic/genetic structure across the eastern black cherry range suggests widespread gene flow in this taxon. This is consistent with P. serotina's status as a disturbance‐associated species. Further studies should similarly evaluate IBD in species characteristic of low‐disturbance forests.

Highlights

Gene flow, the movement of genes among populations, is a funda‐ mental aspect of evolution within plant populations, either alone or in concert with genetic drift, mutation, and selection (Ellstrand, 2014)
Evaluat‐ ing this pattern is analytically straightforward, Isolation by Distance (IBD) has been rigor‐ ously assessed in relatively few widespread North American plant taxa, among the forest trees
Previous research suggests that IBD is to be expected in native North American plants, and this study aims to test this basic hypothesis of genetic structure in eastern black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh. var. serotina), a widespread eastern North American forest tree that is important ecologically as a wildlife food source (Thompson & Willson, 1979) and as timber (Auclair & Cottam, 1971)

Summary

| INTRODUCTION

The movement of genes among populations, is a funda‐ mental aspect of evolution within plant populations, either alone or in concert with genetic drift, mutation, and selection (Ellstrand, 2014). Durka, Bossdorf, Prati, and Auge (2005) did find a significant but weak signal of IBD in Alliaria petiolata Cavara & Grande (p = 0.002, R2 = 0.043) with mi‐ crosatellite loci This general lack of IBD in exotic species is not sur‐ prising given the potential for multiple introductions of genetically variable material to the non‐native range, and the propensity for widespread non‐native species to exhibit frequent long‐range gene flow. Previous research suggests that IBD is to be expected in native North American plants, and this study aims to test this basic hypothesis of genetic structure in eastern black cherry Specimen locality data allow for the rapid choice of a geographically representative set of specimens from which a genetic dataset can be obtained

| MATERIALS AND METHODS

| Molecular methods

Findings

| DISCUSSION