Comparative Study of Genetic Structure and Genetic Diversity betweenWild and Cultivated Populations of Taxus cuspidata,Northeast China

Taxus cuspidata is a rare plant with important medicinal and ornamental value.Aiming at the obvious differences between wild and cultivated populations of T.cuspidata from Northeast China,a total of 61 samples,that is,33 wild yews and 28 cultivated yews were used to analyze the differences and correlations of the kinship,genetic diversity,and genetic structure between them by specific length amplified fragment sequencing(SLAF-seq).Finally,470725 polymorphic SLAF tags and 58622 valid SNP markers were obtained.Phylogenetic analysis showed that 61 samples were classified into 2 clusters:wild populations and cultivated populations,and some wild yews were categorized into the cultivated populations;the genetic diversity analysis showed that the Nei diversity index of wild populations(0.4068)was smaller than that of cultivated populations(0.4414),and the polymorphic information content(PIC)of wild populations(0.2861)was smaller than that of cultivated populations(0.3309).The genetic differentiation analysis showed that the total populations of gene diversity(H_(t))of cultivated and wild populations were respectively 0.8159 and 0.5685,the coefficient of gene differentiation(G_(st))of cultivated and wild populations was respectively 0.3021 and 0.1068,and the gene flow(N_(m))(2.4967)of wild populations was larger than cultivated populations(0.8199).The molecular variance(AMOVA)revealed that inter-population variation accounted for 29.57%of the total genetic variation,while intra-population variation accounted for 70.42% of the total genetic variation(p<0.001),this suggested that the genetic variation in the T.cuspidata is mainly attributed to within-population factors.In conclusion,the genetic distance between geographical ecological groups of wild populations was generally smaller than that of cultivated populations,and the degree of genetic diversity and genetic differentiation was smaller than that of cultivated populations.As evident,the utilization of SLAF-seq technology enables efficient and accurate development of SNP markers suitable for genetic analysis of T.cuspidata species.These developed SNP markers can provide a molecular foundation for T.cuspidata breeding,construction of genetic maps,variety identification,and association analysis of agronomic traits.

Effects of levonorgestrel-quinestrol(EP-1)treatment on Mongolian gerbil wild populations:a case study

Rodent pest population outbreaks occur frequently in grassland ecosystems in northern China.The Mongolian gerbil(Meriones unguiculatus)is a dominant pest rodent which is distributed across the semi-desert grasslands of Inner Mongolia,China.In 2009,we studied the contraceptive effect of levonorgestrel-quinestrol(EP-1),concentration 50 ppm,on a wild Mongolian gerbil population.The one-off contraceptive treatment was compared with a control group using a semi-monthly live trapping method in the Ordos Semi-desert Grassland Region of Inner Mongolia.The results show that juveniles were not recruited in spring in the treatment group.Ratios of juveniles in the control and treatment groups showed significant semi-monthly differences from spring to summer(one-way ANOVA,F_(2,14)=7.53,P<0.05).Between both groups,annual fluctuations of juvenile and total population densities were significantly different respectively(F_(2,14)=4.64,P<0.05;F_(2,18)=7.72,P<0.05).The contraceptive EP-1 delayed the normal reproductive pattern of Mongolian gerbil populations.This suppressed birth rates of gerbil populations,reduced their densities,and changed their age structures.The period of EP-1 baiting should be extended but it could be an ideal method for controlling Mongolian gerbil populations during each breeding season.

Microsatellite analysis of variation among wild, domesticated, and genetically improved populations of blunt snout bream （Megalobrama amblycephala）

In the present study, the genetic diversity of one selected strain （Pujiang No. 1）, two domesticated populations （GA and HX） and four wild populations （LZ, YN, SS and JL） of blunt snout bream （Megalobrama amblycephala） was analyzed using 17 microsatellite markers. The results showed that an average of 4.88-7.65 number of alleles （A）; an average of 3.20-5.33 effective alleles （Ne）; average observed beterozygosity （Ho） of 0.6985-0.9044; average expected beterozygosity （He） of 0.6501--0.7805; and the average polymorphism information content （PIC） at 0.5706-0.7226. Pairwise FST value between populations ranged from 0.0307-0.1451, and Nei＇s standard genetic distance between populations was 0.0938-0.4524. The expected heterozygosities in the domesticated populations （GA and HX） were significantly lower than those found in three wild populations （LZ, SS and JL）, but no difference was detected when compared with the wild YN population. Likewise, no difference was found between the four wild populations or two domesticated populations. The expected heterozygosity in Pujiang No. 1 was higher than the two domesticated populations and lower than the four wild populations. Regarding pairwise Fsr value between populations, permutation test P-values were significant between the GA, HX and PJ populations, but not between the four wild populations. These results showed that the expected beterozygosity in the selected strain of blunt snout bream, after seven generations of selective breeding, was lower than that of wild populations, but this strain retains higher levels of genetic diversity than domesticated populations. The genetic differences and differentiation amongst wild populations, domesticated populations and the genetically improved strain of blunt snout bream will provide important conservation criteria and guide the utilization of germplasm resources.

Study on Resource Status and Protection Countermeasures of Wild Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations(PSESP)in Xinjiang

In recent years,the protection of PSESP has gradually become a hot issue in biodiversity research.Through the investigation and analysis of PSESP in Xinjiang,it is shown that:①there are 75 species of PSESP in Xinjiang,including 22 species of trees,18 species of shrubs and 35 species of herbs.The habitats are mainly in extremely cold,extremely dry or extremely narrow conditions such as snow line,desert,mountain,wetland and so on.②53 species(70.67%)are listed as national or autonomous region protected plants,and 22 species of PSESP are not listed in the protection;there are 70 species of PSESP listed in the red list,accounting for 93.33%.③The PSESP in Xinjiang are mainly distributed in the Altai Mountains,western Tianshan Mountains,Pamir Plateau and Karakoram Mountains;they are distributed in all kinds of nature reserves,forest parks,wetland parks and other natural ecological protection areas in Xinjiang.Ammopiptanthus nanus(M.Pop.)Cheng F.,Cistanche tubulosa(Schenk)Wight,Calligonum roborovskii A.Los.and Prunus cerasifera Ehrhart have not been found in the literature,indicating that they are distributed in protected areas.In order to provide a theoretical basis for the conservation of biodiversity in Xinjiang,this paper puts forward some suggestions on the protection of PSESP.

Analysis on Morphological Variations among Six Wild Groups of Anthocidaris crassispina from South China Sea

In order to study the morphological variations among wild Anthocidaris crassispina groups in the southeast coast of China, six groups collected from Daya Bay, Egong Bay, Hailing Island, and Nan＇ao Island in Guangzhou Province, Weizhou Island in Guangxi Province and Ningde City in Fujian Province were analyzed in this paper. Six morphometric traits were measured and the degrees of morphological variations among wild Anthocidaris crassispina groups were compared using four multivariate analyses, one-way ANOVA analysis, variation coefficient method, cluster analysis and discriminant analysis. The results of one-way ANOVA analysis showed that there were significant differences in the six morphometric traits between Weizhou Island＇s population and the other five groups. The variation coefficient analysis showed that the difference between the Weizhou Island＇s population and Hailing Is- land＇s population reached the interspecific level. The results of cluster analysis showed that the morphometric characters of Daly Bay＇s population, Egong Bay＇s population and Nan＇ao＇s population were more similar, but the groups from Weizhou Island and Ningde City were the most divergent. The discriminant analysis showed that the identification accuracy of A. crassispina was 47.8%-86%, and the total dis- criminant accuracy was 65.3%. All the analysis results above suggest that certain morphological variation has been generated among A. crassispina groups from differ- ent origins due to geographical isolation and different environmental factors.

Comparative Analysis of Nutritional Components in Muscles between Wild and Cultured Masu Salmon Oncorhynchus masou

In this paper,approximate nutritional components and amino acid content were determined in muscles of female wild population(WP)with body weight of 2500-3000 g and female cultured population(CP)with body weight of 750-1250 g masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou in the gonadal development stage IV by conventional method.The results showed that there were significantly higher crude protein and significantly lower crude fat in fresh muscle of WP than that in CP(P<0.05),but not significant differences in the contents of moisture and crude ash between WP and CP(P>0.05).Eighteen kinds of amino acids were detected in muscles of WP and CP,with higher total content of amino acids(TAA),essential amino acids(EAA)and four kinds of delicious amino acids(DAA)in WP than those in CP(P<0.05).The amino acid score(AAS)and chemical score(CS)revealed that the first limiting amino acid was tryptophan in two populations,with essential amino acid index(EAAI)of 75.59%in WP and 70.77%in CP.The findings indicated that the amino acid contents in muscles of CP are lower than that of WP,but the amino acid nutritional value evaluation indicators of both populations are very close,and both have high nutritional value.

Disordered Translocation is Hastening Local Extinction of the Chinese Giant Salamander

Biodiversity is declining globally by an unprecedented extinction rate.This is especially true for amphibians,accounting for 24.3%of all threatened vertebrates.As the largest extant amphibian species in the world,wild populations of the Chinese giant salamander(Genus Andrias)(CGS)have decreased dramatically because of overexploitation and habitat degradation.Translocation has become an important strategy for restoring threatened wild populations worldwide.However,disordered tra nsloca tion usually has negative effects on the native populations.We provide an overview of CGS translocation and show that disordered translocation can increase local population extinction.Nearly four times the estimated number of wild individuals have been released across China.There a re three types of translocation used for CGS,namely,reinforcement,reintroduction and ecological replacement,the last of which accounts for over one-third of translocations.Our genetic screening revealed that most released individuals were not from local populations,with one to four lineages detected in every release site(n=6).This disordered translocation can potentially reduce the genetic integrity of original populations.Hence,we suggest suspending current CGS translocation activities immediately,until more robust measures can be developed and implemented to improve the current translocation program,especially with respect to lineage identifica tion a nd the identifica tion of appropriate release sites.

Biological characteristics of wild Cycas fairylakea population in Guangdong Province,China

There are five wild populations of Cycas fairylakea in Guangdong Province,China,three of which are newly found.A study of the biological characteristics of C.fairylakea populations showed that this species had a narrow colonization area within 300 hm^(2),and an island pattern of distribution.Because of the overexploitation,urbanization,environment pollution,plant diseases,and insect pests,the wild populations and individuals of C.fairylakea decreased markedly in the past decades.All five populations have an opposite pyramid age structure,few coning plants,few seed production,and low level of seed germination rate or sterility.In conclusion,C.fairylakea in Guangdong Province was threatened seriously and an urgent need to take effective efforts to protect the plants and habitats in its location sites was required.

Cytomorphological and genetic indicators in the early ontogenesis of the wild and farmed broad whitefish(Coregonus nasus)

The qualitative and quantitative composition of primordial germ cells(PGCs)and the genetic variability of embryos of the Coregonus nasus from the Ob river basin and domesticated population breeding outside the natural areal was examined.In the broad whitefish,typical,binuclear,polymorphic nuclei cells,as well as PGCs represented primary gonocytes during embryogenesis in clusters.When hatching larvae PGCs mitoses were noted only in domesticated juveniles.The genetic variability of embryos of the broad whitefish was studied by polymerase chain reaction of inter simple sequence repeats(ISSR-PCR).The high polymorphism of the broad whitefish cultured population was revealed.The proportion of polymorphic bands was 89.4%,Nei’s genetic diversity was 0.32.Reproduction of the domesticated broad whitefish did not affect the overall level of polymorphism of neutral DNA markers.These findings suggest the preservation of cytomorphological and genetic diversity in C.nasus embryo from different sources.

Informative ISSR Markers Help Identify Genetically Distinct Accessions of Oryza rufipogon in Yield Improvement

Inter simple sequence repeat（ISSR） polymorphism was used to determine genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships in 90 genotypes of wild and cultivated species of Oryza from different geographical regions of the world. In all the 17 primers used in ISSR-PCR, a total of 11 464 bands were amplified at 253 band positions/loci. The primer UBC-809 amplified the maximum bands（1 059） at 21 band positions. UBC-810 and UBC-835 amplified the minimum of 391 bands each at 7 and 14 band positions, respectively. The mean polymorphism information content ranged from 0.44 to 0.84 and resolving power ranged from 8.69 to 23.53. Un-weighted pair group method with arithmetic mean dendrogram and population structure based on the 17 primers separated all genotypes into 4 major clusters with a genetic similarity of 53%–100%. The first two clusters consisted of 30 O. rufipogon accessions each. In the third cluster, O. nivara and O. longistaminata grouped as one sub-cluster and all other O. nivara accessions and cultivars grouped as another sub-cluster. The fourth cluster had only five O. rufipogon accessions which can be a source of new genes. Four sub-populations were identified within O. rufipogon and two sub-populations within O. nivara at K = 7. A subset of six primers with high resolving power values were the most informative and grouped all genotypes almost similarly as the 17 primers did. Use of these six highly informative primers in ISSR-PCR is a cost effective and robust method for assessing genetic diversity in large germplasm collections of wild rice species.

Phenotypic plasticity of labile traits in the wild

Individual-based studies allow quantification ofphenotypic plasticity in behavioural, life-history and other labile traits The study of phenotypic plasticity in the wild can shed new light on the ultimate objectives （1） whether plasticity itself can evolve or is constrained by its genetic architecture, and （2） whether plasticity is associated to other traits, including fitness （selection）. I describe the main statistical approach for how repeated records of individuals and a description of the environment （E） allow quantification of variation in plasticity across individuals （IxE） and genotypes （GxE） in wild populations. Based on a literature review of life-history and behavioural studies on plasticity in the wild, I discuss the present state of the two objectives listed above. Few studies have quantified GxE of labile traits in wild populations, and it is likely that power to detect statistically sig- nificant GxE is lacking. Apart from the issue of whether it is heritable, plasticity tends to correlate with average trait expression （not fully supported by the few genetic estimates available） and may thus be evolutionary constrained in this way. Individ- ual-specific estimates of plasticity tend to be related to other traits of the individual （including fitness）, but these analyses may be anti-conservative because they predominantly concern stats-on-stats. Despite the increased interest in plasticity in wild popula- tions, the putative lack of power to detect GxE in such populations hinders achieving general insights. I discuss possible steps to invigorate the field by moving away from simply testing for presence of GxE to analyses that ＇scale up＇ to population level proce-sses and by the development of new behavioural theory to identify quantitative genetic parameters which can be estimated

The endophytic mycobiota of Arabidopsis thaliana

Fungal endophytes are receiving increasing attention as resources to improve crop production and ecosystem management.However,the biology and ecological significance of these symbionts remains poorly understood,due to a lack of model systems for more efficient research.In this work,we have analyzed the culturable endophytic mycobiota associated,in the wild,with leaves and siliques of the model plant A.thaliana.We have studied the effect of biotic and abiotic factors in the frequency of fungal endophytes in plant specimens,and in the species composition of the endophytic community.Our results indicate that the frequency of Arabidopsis plants hosting endophytes depends on the time of the year and the phenological stage of the plant,and that the probability of endophyte colonization increases as the life cycle of the plant progresses.The diversity of the endophytic assemblages of natural A.thaliana populations was high,and precipitation and temperature were the two main factors determining the diversity and species composition of the communities.We propose A.thaliana and its endophytes as a model system for an integral approach to the principles governing the endophytic lifestyle,taking advantage of the molecular tools and the abundant knowledge accessible from the host plant.