Recombination in Glomus intraradices, a supposed ancient asexual arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus
Open access
Date
2009-01Type
- Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
no
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Abstract
Background
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) are important symbionts of most plant species, promoting plant diversity and productivity. This symbiosis is thought to have contributed to the early colonisation of land by plants. Morphological stasis over 400 million years and the lack of an observed sexual stage in any member of the phylum Glomeromycota led to the controversial suggestion of AMF being ancients asexuals. Evidence for recombination in AMF is contradictory.
Results
We addressed the question of recombination in the AMF Glomus intraradices by sequencing 11 polymorphic nuclear loci in 40 morphologically identical isolates from one field. Phylogenetic relationships among genotypes showed a reticulate network pattern providing a rationale to test for recombination. Five statistical tests predicted multiple recombinant regions in the genome of a core set of isolates. In contrast, five clonal lineages had fixed a large number of differences.
Conclusion
Our data show that AMF from one field have undergone recombination but that clonal lineages coexist. This finding has important consequences for understanding AMF evolution, co-evolution of AMF and plants and highlights the potential for commercially introduced AMF inoculum recombining with existing local populations. Finally, our results reconcile seemingly contradictory studies on whether AMF are clonal or form recombining populations. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000097189Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
BMC Evolutionary BiologyVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
BioMed CentralSubject
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus; Amplify Fragment Length Polymorphism; Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus Species; Clonal Evolution; Recombination BreakpointOrganisational unit
03516 - McDonald, Bruce / McDonald, Bruce
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ETH Bibliography
no
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