One haploid parent contributes 100% of the gene pool for a widespread species in northwest North America

Abstract

The monoicous peatmoss Sphagnum subnitens has a tripartite distribution that includes disjunct population systems in Europe (including the Azores), northwestern North America and New Zealand. Regional genetic diversity was highest in European S. subnitens but in northwestern North America, a single microsatellite-based multilocus haploid genotype was detected across 16 sites ranging from Coos County, Oregon, to Kavalga Island in the Western Aleutians (a distance of some 4115 km). Two multilocus haploid genotypes were detected across 14 sites on South Island, New Zealand. The microsatellite-based regional genetic diversity detected in New Zealand and North American S. subnitens is the lowest reported for any Sphagnum. The low genetic diversity detected in both of these regions most likely resulted from a founder event associated with vegetative propagation and complete selfing, with one founding haploid plant in northwest North America and two in New Zealand. Thus, one plant appears to have contributed 100% of the gene pool for the population systems of S. subnitens occurring in northwest North America, and this is arguably the most genetically uniform group of plants having a widespread distribution yet detected. Although having a distribution spanning 12.5° of latitude and 56° of longitude, there was no evidence of any genetic diversification in S. subnitens in northwest North America. No genetic structure was detected among the three regions, and it appears that European plants of S. subnitens provided the source for New Zealand and northwest North American populations.

The double allopolyploidSphagnum×falcatulum(Sphagnaceae) in Tierra del Fuego, a Holantarctic perspective

“…Microsatellite analysis has shown that other regional populations of Sphagnum have resulted from just one or two founders (Karlin et al, 2011a(Karlin et al, , 2012. Just one founder appears to have given rise to the regional population of the monoicous S. subnitens in north-western North America, with two founders apparently being associated with the South Island population of this species (Karlin et al, 2011a).…”

“…Just one founder appears to have given rise to the regional population of the monoicous S. subnitens in north-western North America, with two founders apparently being associated with the South Island population of this species (Karlin et al, 2011a). In both cases, long distance dispersal by spores produced by intragametophytic selfing and vegetative propagation at each site resulted in the rapid dispersal and establishment of S. subnitens on a regional basis.…”

“…Having a history of two separate allopolyploidization events, the allotriploid plants are double allopolyploids (Karlin et al, 2009). Using microsatellites, Karlin et al (2011a) established that S. cuspidatum was likely the haploid parent of the allotriploid cytotype (contributing subgenome T). The two cytotypes of S. 6falcatulum co-occur on South Island, New Zealand, with the allotriploid cytotype being predominant.…”

Peatland geoengineering: an alternative approach to terrestrial carbon sequestration

“…A total of 100 per cent of the gene pool of Sphagnum subnitens in North America was contributed by one individual plant [56], and while this took place over 300 years as a natural process, it is likely to be achieved far more rapidly with human intervention.…”

Sphagnum incundum a new species in Sphagnum subg. Acutifolia (Sphagnaceae) from boreal and arctic regions of North America

“…Sphagnum subfulvum mainly occur in boreal regions of North America and Europe, but also in temperate and sub-meridional regions in southern Europe at higher elevations and in arctic Greenland (McQueen and Andrus 2007). Sphagnum subnitens is found in most European countries (Daniels and Eddy 1990), along the Pacific coast of North America from Oregon to boreal parts of Alaska including the Aleutians (McQueen and Andrus 2007), and New Zealand (Karlin et al 2011). Thus, S. incundum, together with S. subfulvum, has a boreal to arctic distribution, while the other species are boreal to temperate.…”