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Molecular evidence of natural hybridization between Abies veitchii and A. homolepis (Pinaceae) revealed by chloroplast, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers
Author(s) -
Isoda K.,
Shiraishi S.,
Watanabe S.,
Kitamura K.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
molecular ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.619
H-Index - 225
eISSN - 1365-294X
pISSN - 0962-1083
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.01088.x
Subject(s) - biology , mitochondrial dna , rapd , chloroplast dna , nuclear dna , genome , genetics , haplotype , nuclear gene , polymerase chain reaction , pinaceae , evolutionary biology , gene , genotype , botany , genetic diversity , population , pinus <genus> , demography , sociology
Sub‐alpine Abies veitchii and A . homolepis are distributed in the central part of Honshu Island, Japan, and their habitats are segregated vertically. These species sometimes form a mixed forest in the overlapping area of the two species, that is, in the upper limit of the A . homolepis habitat and the lower limit of A . veitchii . These species have been considered to be distantly related because they were classified into different sections by most conventional classifications. No natural hybridization has been reported between the two species. The aim of this study was to demonstrate, through the use of molecular markers, whether natural hybridization takes place between these two species at two experimental sites on Mt. Fuji, where the species occur naturally. DNA markers from paternally inherited chloroplast DNA (cpDNA), maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and biparentally inherited nuclear DNA (nDNA), were used for this study. As organelle DNA markers, polymerase chain reaction–single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR–SSCP) markers were developed to determine the maternal and paternal species for each individual. Two of 334 individuals possessed a cpDNA haplotype derived from A . homolepis and a mtDNA haplotype from A . veitchii . Furthermore, the nDNA of these two individuals was analysed using the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay to investigate their genomic composition. RAPD analysis indicated that the nuclear genomes of the two individuals were derived from both species. We conclude that A . veitchii and A . homolepis produce natural hybrids, and that their systematic relationship should be re‐evaluated.