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Correlation between molecular markers and adaptively significant genetic variation in Bromus tectorum (Poaceae), an inbreedingannual grass
Author(s) -
Ramakrishnan Alisa P.,
Meyer Susan E.,
Waters Jennifer,
Stevens Mikel R.,
Coleman Craig E.,
Fairbanks Daniel J.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.3732/ajb.91.6.797
Subject(s) - biology , amplified fragment length polymorphism , bromus tectorum , population , genetics , genetic variation , botany , genetic diversity , gene , invasive species , demography , sociology
Single sequence repeat (SSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) molecular marker genotypes in cheatgrass ( Bromus tectorum ) were compared to published data on phenotypic variation in seed dormancy, vernalization requirement, and resistance to the pathogen Ustilago bullata . Several features of cheatgrass facilitated this study: it is a recent invader in the western United States, has considerable phenotypic polymorphism, and is an obligate self‐pollinator. Forty self‐pollinating lines from four populations common to the three phenotypic data sets were analyzed for molecular genetic variation using seven SSR loci and 31 AFLP loci. We examined correlations between distance matrices using the Mantel test for each pair of studies. The two molecular data sets were significantly correlated ( r = 0.636). The AFLP markers often distinguished among several lines with identical SSR genotypes. The AFLP data were also significantly correlated with the phenotypic data ( r values from 0.4640 to 0.5658), but the SSR data were much more highly correlated ( r values from 0.677 to 0.844). The difference between molecular marker systems was especially notable when an outlier population from Potosi Pass, Nevada, was excluded from the analysis. These results suggest that SSR markers may be good surrogates for phenotypic traits in population genetic studies of strongly inbreeding species such as cheatgrass.