Genetic structure of Populus hybrid zone along the Irtysh River provides insight into plastid-nuclear incompatibility.

ABSTRACT: In plants, the maintenance of species integrity despite hybridization has often been explained by the co-adaption of nuclear gene complexes. However, the interaction between plastid and nuclear sub-genomes has been underestimated. Here, we analyzed the genetic structure of a Populus alba and P. tremula hybrid zone along the Irtysh River system in the Altai region, northwest China, using both nuclear microsatellites and plastid DNA sequences. We found high interspecific differentiation, although the hybrid P. × canescens was prevalent. Bayesian inference classified most hybrids into F1, followed by a few back-crosses to P. alba, and fewer F2 hybrids and back-crosses to P. tremula, indicating a few introgressions but preference toward P. alba. When plastid haplotypes in parental species were

SUBMITTER: Zeng YF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4910079 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature