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Widespread genetic mosaicism in the marine angiosperm Zostera marina is correlated with clonal reproduction

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Abstract

Somatic mutations are an underappreciated source of genetic variation within multi-cellular organisms. The resulting genetic mosaicism should be particularly abundant in large clones of vegetatively propagating angiosperms. Little is known on the abundance and ecological correlates of genetic mosaicism in field populations, despite its potential evolutionary significance. Because sexual reproduction restores genetic homogeneity, we predicted that in facultatively clonally reproducing organisms, the prevalence of genetic mosaicism increases with increasing clonality. This was tested among 33 coastal locations colonized by the ecologically important marine angiosperm Zostera marina, ranging from Portugal to Finland. Genetic mosaics were detectable as complex microsatellite genotypes at two hypervariable loci that revealed additional mosaic alleles, suggesting the presence of one or more divergent cell lineages within the same ramet. The proportions of non-mosaic genotypes in a population sharply decreased below a clonal richness of 0.2. Accordingly, more genetic mosaics were found at the southern and northern limit of the distribution of Z. marina in Europe where sexual reproduction is rare or absent. The genetic mosaics observed at neutral microsatellite markers suggest the possibility of within-clone variation at selectively relevant loci and supports the notion that members of clones are seldom genetically identical.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Olivia Roth and Christophe Eizauirre for comments and support with the statistical analysis. Comments by two anonymous referees and the subject matter editor, Isabelle Olivieri, greatly helped improving the manuscript. Silke Carstensen helped with the genotyping. Camilla Roos, Jan Ekebom and Kevin O’Brien are acknowledged for help with field collections in the Archipelago Sea. Finnish Ministry of Environment provided financial support through the VELMU-programme. C.B. was financed by the Academy of Finland, (Project SEASCAPE 200689, grant number 80509).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leibniz-Institute for Marine Sciences IFM-GEOMAR, Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Fishes, Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105, Kiel, Germany

    Thorsten B. H. Reusch

  2. Department of Biosciences, Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Artillerigatan 6, 20520, Åbo, Finland

    Christoffer Boström

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  1. Thorsten B. H. Reusch
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  2. Christoffer Boström
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Correspondence to Thorsten B. H. Reusch.

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10682_2010_9436_MOESM1_ESM.eps

Fig. S1 Mean fluorescent signal intensity (± 95% confidence intervals) for main peaks (=alleles, filled) and stutter bands (open) of different heterozygous genotypes for 2 hypervariable microsatellite loci in Zostera marina, ZosmarGA17H (a) and ZosmarGA35 (b), for heterozygous genotypes different one to 3 + repeat units. These confidence intervals were used to distinguish mosaic microsatellite alleles from other artifacts. All diagrams combine at least 3 different independent analyses. The first (longest) allelic peak (Black bar) was set at 1. All eletropherograms were obtained using an ABI 3130xl or 3100 capillary sequencer and the pop4 polymer. Supplementary material 1 (EPS 690 kb)

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Reusch, T.B.H., Boström, C. Widespread genetic mosaicism in the marine angiosperm Zostera marina is correlated with clonal reproduction. Evol Ecol 25, 899–913 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-010-9436-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-010-9436-8

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