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Phylogeographic analysis reveals two cryptic species of the endangered fern Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn. (Parkeriaceae) in China

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Abstract

Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn. (Parkeriaceae) is a difficult fern species to taxonomically classify. Three cryptic species were revealed in the previous studies, referred to as the north type, the south type, and the third type. Because much of the distribution range of C. thalictroides in China was not included in the sampling of the previous studies, the taxonomic complexity of C. thalictroides in China remained uncertain. In order to identify the uncharacterized cryptic species, we examined four chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) non-coding regions and compared sequence variation within this species complex. Sequence data were obtained from 143 individuals in 24 populations throughout the natural distribution of the species in China. Nineteen haplotypes were identified. Molecular systematic and phylogeographical analyses revealed two genetically distinct clusters of cpDNA haplotypes in China. One cluster included haplotypes associated with the north type, and another with the south type cryptic species. The N ST value was significantly higher than the G ST value (N ST = 0.768 > G ST = 0.434, P < 0.05), indicating the presence of a significant phylogeographical structure of C. thalictroides in China. The results of AMOVA analysis showed a significant inter-group differentiation (F ST = 0.918; P < 0.001). Analyses based on different, but complementary methods suggest that in China, C. thalictroides contains only two of the cryptic species (the north and south types). Two haplotypes, H8 and H17, of the interior node in the minimum-spanning network (MSN) of cpDNA haplotypes are widespread. The origin of the widespread haplotypes in China may have resulted from long-distance dispersal to China.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Yuanhuo Dong and Xiuqun Liu for their kindly assistance in fieldworks, Xiaoli Yue, Zhiyuan Du and Shuying Zhao for their help in the laboratory. This study was supported by grants from One Hundred Person Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences granted to WQF (KSCX2-YW-Z-0805) and from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30800061 and No. 30970195).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Plant Systematics and Evolutionary Biology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Yi-Ying Liao & Xing-Yu Yang

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, 23529-0266, USA

    Timothy J. Motley

  3. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Jin-Ming Chen & Qing-Feng Wang

  4. Wuhan Botanical Garden, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Jin-Ming Chen & Qing-Feng Wang

Authors
  1. Yi-Ying Liao
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  2. Xing-Yu Yang
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  3. Timothy J. Motley
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  4. Jin-Ming Chen
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  5. Qing-Feng Wang
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Jin-Ming Chen or Qing-Feng Wang.

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Y.-Y. Liao and X.-Y. Yang contributed equally to this paper.

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Liao, YY., Yang, XY., Motley, T.J. et al. Phylogeographic analysis reveals two cryptic species of the endangered fern Ceratopteris thalictroides (L.) Brongn. (Parkeriaceae) in China. Conserv Genet 12, 1357–1365 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-011-0236-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-011-0236-7

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