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Population genetic structure of the whorl-leaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum verticillatum shaped by topography and geographic distance

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Abstract

Interpopulation gene flow plays an important role in determining population genetic structure. In this study, we sampled 24 populations of the whorl-leaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum verticillatum from three disjunct regions in China (Northwest China, Northeast China, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) plus Southwest China) with different topographies and examined its population genetic structure using 17 microsatellite loci. Deserts, plains, and mountains are the main geomorphological features of Northwest China, Northeast China, and the QTP plus Southwest China, respectively. High genetic differentiation and genetic isolation by geographic distance were observed at the overall scale and in all three regions. When compared among the three regions, the lowest level of genetic differentiation and weakest correlation between genetic and geographic distances were presented in Northeast China. Two genetic clusters corresponding to Northwest China and the other two regions were identified, suggesting unequal gene flow among the three disjunct regions. Our findings emphasize the role of topography and geographic distance in shaping population genetic structure in aquatic plants.

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Data availability

The SSR data are deposited in LabArchives (http://www.labarchives.comhttp://www.labarchives.com) and are available via the https://doi.org/10.25833/a4n3-nd37.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China to Xinwei Xu (31270265) and Zhigang Wu (31700190). We thank the members of Dan Yu’s group for field assistance.

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  1. Fanjiao Kong and Zhigang Wu have contributed equally to this manuscript.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Field Station of Freshwater Ecosystem of Liangzi Lake, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, People’s Republic of China

    Fanjiao Kong, Huijun Wang, Jiwen Chen & Xinwei Xu

  2. State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, People’s Republic of China

    Zhigang Wu

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  1. Fanjiao Kong
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Correspondence to Xinwei Xu.

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Online Resource 1

Characteristics of five new microsatellite markers developed in Myriophyllum verticillatum. Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 15 kb)

Online Resource 2

Modeling of the optimal number of genetic clusters in Myriophyllum verticillatum using STRUCTURE in an overall scale (a), and in regions of Northeast China and the QTP plus Southwest China (b), respectively. ΔK calculated based on Evanno et al. (2005), charted against the number of modeled gene pools (K). Supplementary material 2 (DOCX 35 kb)

Online Resource 3

The bar plot depicts the STRUCTURE admixture coefficients of all individuals of 24 populations when K = 2 (a), the individuals of 16 populations from Northeast China and the QTP plus Southwest China when K = 2 (b). A single vertical bar displays the membership coefficient of each individual, with sample site labeled. Supplementary material 3 (DOCX 123 kb)

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Kong, F., Wu, Z., Wang, H. et al. Population genetic structure of the whorl-leaf watermilfoil Myriophyllum verticillatum shaped by topography and geographic distance. Hydrobiologia 838, 55–64 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-019-03977-5

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