Phylogenetic diversity shapes salt tolerance in Phragmites australis estuarine populations in East China

Abstract

Estuaries are dynamic and selective environments that provide frequent opportunities for the turnover of Phragmites australis populations. We studied Phragmites genetic diversity patterns in three of the major deltas of China, viz. the Yellow River, the Yangtze and the Liaohe, in relation to Phragmites global phylogeography and soil salinity. We found that two distantly related P. australis haplotypes, each with intercontinental distribution, co-occur in these deltas in China. One is European Phragmites (Haplotype O) and is related to P. japonicus; the other (Haplotype P) has its range in East Asia and Australia and is related to the Asian tropical species P. karka. The two haplotypes have differing salt tolerance, with Haplotype O in areas with the highest salinity and Haplotype P in areas with the lowest. Introgressed hybrids of Haplotype P with P. karka, and F1 hybrids with Haplotype O, have higher salt tolerance than Haplotype P. Phylogenetic diversity appears as the factor that better explains population structure and salinity tolerance in these estuaries. Future research may explain whether the two P. australis haplotypes evolved in East Asia, and East Asia is a center of Phragmites diversity, or are introduced and a threat to P. japonicus and P. karka.

Genome-wide analysis tracks the emergence of intraspecific polyploids inPhragmites australis

“…Although we could not obtain the sequences of trn T- trn L and rbc L– psa I regions to directly compare the results with previous studies based on chloroplast haplotypes 15,25,36 , we could infer the corresponding haplotypes by the corresponding geographic locations (Table S2). For example, the chloroplast haplotype P which is distributed in Eastern China may represent AU lineage, as they have overlapping geographic occurrences 19,37 . Each lineage was characterized by its own ploidy level: The AU is octoploid, the USland is hexaploid, and the Neoploid (South Africa) is octoploid (Fig.…”

Genetic drift versus natural selection affecting the evolution of spectral and functional traits of two key macrophytes: Phragmites australis and Nuphar lutea

“…At present, local adaptation capabilities for P. australis and N. lutea have been studied from either a phenotypic (Henriot et al, 2019; Ren et al, 2020; Vretare et al, 2001) or a genetic point of view (Coppi et al, 2018; Fér & Hroudova, 2008; Lambertini et al, 2020; Naugžemys et al, 2021; Vyšniauskienė et al, 2020). To our knowledge, only one study has jointly investigated the complex relationships between population‐based functional trait variation, genetic diversity, and environmental heterogeneity, i.e., the work of Wani et al (2020) focusing on P. australis .…”

Suitability of Wild Phragmites australis as Bio-Resource: Tissue Quality and Morphology of Populations from Three Continents

“…The species is native in Asia, predominantly belonging to the East Asian/Australian group. Although P. australis from the European Northern hemisphere group extends to Asia, and hybrids with other Phragmites species occur in that area, there is so far no evidence of an undetected (cryptic) invasion of non-native lineages in East China [35]. Most collected shoots had flowers, except the ones from Fanggan mountains and river.…”