Weedy adaptation inSetariaspp. II. Genetic diversity and population genetic structure inS. glauca, S. geniculata, andS. faberii (Poaceae)

Abstract

Setaria glauca (yellow foxtail), S. geniculata (knotroot foxtail), and S. faberii (giant foxtail) are important cosmopolitan weeds of temperate and tropical regions. Isozyme markers were used to investigate genetic diversity and population genetic structure in 94 accessions of yellow foxtail, 24 accessions of knotroot foxtail, and 51 accessions of giant foxtail, collected mainly from North America and Eurasia. Giant foxtail populations were nearly identical genetically, with only one population exhibiting isozyme polymorphism. Yellow and knotroot foxtail populations had low genetic diversity but marked population differentiation. Although the latter species are similar morphologically, they are readily distinguished electrophoretically, with Nei's genetic identity being 0.83. In both species, genetic divergence between accessions from Eurasia and North America was minimal. Populations from the native ranges had slightly greater genetic diversity than those from the respective introduced ranges. Yellow foxtail populations genetically clustered into Asian, European, and North American groups. Within North America, yellow foxtail populations from Iowa were genetically diverse whereas populations collected from other North American locations were nearly monomorphic for the same multilocus genotype. Knotroot foxtail populations in North America were genetically differentiated into northern and southern groups on either side of a line at ≈37° N latitude. No genetic patterning was evident in knotroot foxtail populations from Eurasia. In both yellow and knotroot foxtail, patterns of population genetic structure have been influenced by several factors, including genetic bottlenecks associated with founder events, genetic drift, and natural selection.