Apomixia determinando a estrutura genética de uma população de Plinia cauliflora no sudoeste do Paraná

CAPES

Heritability estimates for growth in the tropical abalone Haliotis asinina using microsatellites to assign parentage

The tropical abalone Haliotis asinina is a wild-caught and cultured species throughout the Indo-Pacific as well as being an emerging model species for the study of haliotids. H. asinina has the fastest recorded natural growth rate of any abalone and reaches sexual maturity within one year. As such, it is a suitable abalone species for selective breeding for commercially important traits such as rapid growth. Estimating the amount of variation in size that is attributable to heritable genetic differences can assist the development of such a selective breeding program. Here we estimated heritability for growth-related traits at 12 months of age by creating a single cohort of 84 families in a full-factorial mating design consisting of 14 sires and 6 dams. Of 500 progeny sampled, 465 were successfully assigned to their parents based on shared alleles at 5 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Using an animal model, heritability estimates were 0.48 ± 0.15 for shell length, 0.38 ± 0.13 for shell width and 0.36 ± 0.13 for weight. Genetic correlations were > 0.98 between shell parameters and weight, indicating that breeding for weight gains could be successfully achieved by selecting for shell length.

Population genetics of the invasive plant species Impatiens glandulifera in Southern Finland

Biological invasions affect biodiversity worldwide, and, consequently, the invaded ecosystems may suffer from significant losses in economic and cultural values. Impatiens glandulifera Royle (Balsaminaceae) is an invasive annual herb, native to the western Himalayas and introduced into Europe in the 19th century as a garden ornamental plant. The massive invasion of I. glandulifera is due to its high reproductive output, rapid growth and its ability to outcompete native species. In Finland, the first observations regarding the presence of I. glandulifera date from the year 1947, and today it is considered a serious problem in riparian habitats. The aim of this master’s thesis research is to reveal the population genetic structure of I. glandulifera in Finland and to find out whether there have been one or multiple invasions in Finland. The study focuses on investigating the origin of I. glandulifera in Southern Finland, by comparing plant samples from the Helsinki region with those from its native region and other regions of invasion. Samples from four populations in Helsinki and from the United Kingdom, Canada, India and Pakistan were collected and genotyped using 11 microsatellite markers. The genetic analyses were evaluated using the programs Arlequin and Structure. The results of the genetic analyses suggested that I. glandulifera has been introduced to Finland more than once. Multiple introductions are supported by the higher level of genetic diversity detected within and among Finnish populations than would be expected for a single introduction. Results of the Bayesian Structure analysis divided the four Finnish populations into four clusters. This geographical structure was further supported by pairwise Fst values among populations. The causes and potential consequences of such multiple introductions of I. glandulifera in Finland and further perspectives are discussed.

Report of the NBFGR-BOBLME Indian mackerel genetics harmonisation training workshop, Kochi, India, 20-27 August, 2013

This workshop was held at the National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources and followed on from the Indian mackerel Working group meeting in Colombo (28-29 May, 2012). Activities included; DNA extraction; PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) for microsatellites; genotyping microsatellites; data analysis; emerging technologies; and an action plan

Polymorphic microsatellites in largemouth bronze gudgeon (Coreius guichenoti) developed from repeat-enriched libraries and cross-species amplifications

Largemouth bronze gudgeon (Coreius guichenoti) is a medium-sized fish endemic from the upper Yangtze River of China and its survival is threatened by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. This study reports 20 new polymorphic microsatellites from a repeat-enriched genomic library with a mean number allele of 5.2, and observed and expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.035 to 1, and from 0.13 to 0.917, respectively. In a cross-species amplification test, nine of the 37 tested loci were found to be also polymorphic in a congeneric species, brass gudgeon (C. heterodon). In addition, other four loci from common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were also polymorphic in C. guichenoti. Out of these 24 polymorphic microsatellites, only three loci significantly deviated from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the sampled population (P < 0.0025), and all pairwise tests for linkage disequilibrium among loci were nonsignificant after applying sequential Bonferroni correction (P > 0.0026). These novel microsatellites provide sufficient levels of polymorphism for studies on population genetics and conservation in C. guichenoti and its related species.

Plastid microsatellites for the study of genetic variability in the widespread Cephalanthera longifolia, C. damasonium and C. rubra (Neottieae, Orchidaceae), and cross-amplification in other Cephalanthera species

Plastid microsatellite loci developed for Cephalanthera longifolia were used to examine the level of genetic variation within and between populations of the three widespread Cephalanthera species (C. damasonium, C. longifolia and C. rubra). The most detailed sampling was in C. longifolia (42 localities from Ireland to China; 147 individuals). Eight haplotypes were detected. One was detected in the vast majority of individuals and occurred from Ireland to Iran. Three others were only found in Europe (Ireland to Italy, England to Italy and Austria to Croatia). Two were only found in the Middle East and two only in Asia. In C. damasonium, 21 individuals from 10 populations (England to Turkey) were sampled. Only one haplotype was detected. In C. rubra, 34 individuals from eight populations (England to Turkey) were sampled. Although it was not possible to amplify all loci for all samples of this species, nine haplotypes were detected. Short alleles for the trnS-trnG region found in two populations of C. rubra were characterized by sequencing and were caused by deletions of 26 and 30 base pairs. At this level of sampling, it appears that C. rubra shows the greatest genetic variability. Cephalanthera longifolia, C. rubra and C. damasonium have previously been characterized as outbreeding, outbreeding with facultative vegetative reproduction and inbreeding, respectively. Patterns of genetic variation here are discussed in the light of these reproductive system differences. The primers used in these three species of Cephalanthera were also demonstrated to amplify these loci in another five species (C. austiniae, C. calcarata, C. epipactoides, C. falcata and C. yunnanensis). Although it is sometimes treated as a synonym of C. damasonium, the single sample of C. yunnanensis from China had a markedly different haplotype from that found in C. damasonium. All three loci were successfully amplified in two achlorophyllous, myco-heterotrophic species, C. austinae and C. calcarata. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London.

Complex sociogenetic organization and reproductive skew in a primitively eusocial sweat bee, Lasioglossum malachurum, as revealed by microsatellites

The sweat bees (Family Halictidae) are a socially diverse taxon in which eusociality has arisen independently numerous times. The obligate, primitively eusocial Lasioglossum malachurum, distributed widely throughout Europe, has been considered the zenith of sociality within halictids. A single queen heads a colony of smaller daughter workers which, by mid-summer, produce new sexuals (males and gynes), of which only the mated gynes overwinter to found new colonies the following spring. We excavated successfully 18 nests during the worker- and gyne-producing phases of the colony cycle and analysed each nest's queen and either all workers or all gynes using highly variable microsatellite loci developed specifically for this species. Three important points arise from our analyses. First, queens are facultatively polyandrous (queen effective mating frequency: range 1–3, harmonic mean 1.13). Second, queens may head colonies containing unrelated individuals (n = 6 of 18 nests), most probably a consequence of colony usurpation during the early phase of the colony cycle before worker emergence. Third, nonqueen's workers may, but the queen's own workers do not, lay fertilized eggs in the presence of the queen that successfully develop into gynes, in agreement with so-called 'concession' models of reproductive skew

A set of primers for plastid indels and nuclear microsatellites in the invasive plant Heracleum mantegazzianum (Apiaceae) and their transferability to Heracleum sphondylium

This study reports the isolation and polymorphism characterization of four plastid indels and six nuclear microsatellite loci in the invasive plant Heracleum mantegazzianum. These markers were tested in 27 individuals from two distant H. mantegazzianum populations. Plastid indels revealed the presence of five chlorotypes while five nuclear microsatellite loci rendered polymorphism. Applications of these markers include population genetics and phylogeography of H. mantegazzianum. A very good transferability of markers to Heracleum sphondylium was demonstrated.

Expressed sequence tag-derived microsatellites for the cool-water marine copepod Calanus finmarchicus

The copepod Calanus finmarchicus is the major contributor to zooplankton biomass in the North Atlantic and Norwegian Sea, but recent studies have shown a 70% decrease in abundance as well as a northward shift in the species' range. Insights into dispersal capabilities gained from population genetic studies will be crucial in predicting the response of C. finmarchicus communities to climate change and, consequently, we have developed a set of expressed sequence tag-derived microsatellite markers to allow fine-scale elucidation of population structuring and dispersal. Ten polymorphic markers displayed between two and 19 alleles, with levels of expected heterozygosity ranging from 0.044 to 0.924.

Development of microsatellites for the invasive riparian plant Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam) using intersimple sequence repeat cloning

Impatiens glandulifera (Himalayan balsam) is an invasive riparian plant species that can outcompete native perennials. Population genetic data on dispersal may aid in the management of invasive species, so we have developed microsatellite markers for this significant invader using an intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR)-based cloning method. Eight polymorphic markers displayed between two and five alleles, with overall levels of observed and expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.0500 to 0.7500 and from 0.1449 to 0.7692, respectively.

Development of microsatellites for the peat moss Sphagnum capillifolium using ISSR cloning

Sphagnum mosses are major components of peat bogs but populations of many species are under threat due to habitat fragmentation resulting from the cutting of peat for fuel. We have used an intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR)-based cloning method to develop nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellites for the peat moss species Sphagnum capillifolium. Between three and seven alleles per locus were detected in a sample of 48 haploid gametophytes and levels of gene diversity ranged from 0.5391 to 0.7960. These represent the first microsatellite markers developed for this important genus and most also exhibited cross-species amplification across a range of common Sphagnum species.

Universal primers for the amplification of chloroplast microsatellites in grasses (Poaceae)

Attempts to design truly universal primers to amplify chloroplast microsatellites have met with limited success due to nonconservation of repeat loci across widely divergent taxa. We have used the complete chloroplast genome sequences of rice, maize and wheat to design five pairs of primers that amplify homologous mononucleotide repeats across the Poaceae (grasses). Sequencing confirmed conservation of repeat motifs across subfamilies and a preliminary study in Anthoxanthum odoratum revealed polymorphism at two loci with a haplotype diversity value of 0.495. These primers provide a valuable tool to study cytoplasmic diversity in this extensively studied and economically important range of taxa.