The intra- and interspecific phylogeny of Fagopyrum (Polygonaceae) species was studied using nucleotide sequence data from two noncoding regions in chloroplast DNA, the trnK (UUU) intron and the trnC (GCA)-rpoB spacer. Thirty-seven accessions of ten species and two unidentified samples in the urophyllum group of Fagopyrum were analyzed. Both of the studied regions showed high variability, including nucleotide substitutions, insertion/deletions, and inversions. Separate parsimony analyses of the two regions generated phylogenies that were largely consistent with each other. A single most parsimonious tree derived from the combined data of the two regions suggested that (1) either F. statice or F. leptopodum was derived from the ancestor more than once, (2) F. gracilipes, a tetraploid species, has recently been derived from diploid ancestor and rapidly spread out to its present distribution areas, and (3) F. pleioramosum, F. macrocarpum, and F. callianthum, three newly discovered species endemic to the upper Min River valley, differentiated from their common ancestral species in the present distribution area.

Clarification of clonal growth pattern is critical for understanding the population dynamics and reproductive system evolution of clonal plant species. The contribution of clonality to the spatial genetic structure (SGS) within populations is also an important issue. I examined the spatial distribution of genetic variability within two populations of the coastal plant Carex kobomugi using seven microsatellite loci. Genotyping of 226 and 140 ramets within 14 × 40 m and 14 × 34 m plots on two populations revealed 36 and 33 multilocus genotypes, respectively. To quantify the extent of intermingling among clones, for each genet, I calculated the dominance of ramets belonging to a particular genet within a spatial range of the genet. Furthermore, I analyzed spatial distribution of genotypes within 2 × 2 m and 1 × 2 m quadrats using second-order spatial statistics. These analyses indicated that clones are highly intermingled, suggesting a low level of spatial interaction among clones. Spatial autocorrelation analysis of kinship coefficient including all pairs of ramets showed significantly stronger SGS than analysis considering only pairs between different genets. I conclude that clonal propagation largely contributes to SGS at a fine scale.

Summary Monochoria vaginalis is one of the most serious weeds of rice fields in Asia. The species is predominantly selfing. To reveal the potential for multiple mutational events, outcrossing and gene flow in the sulfonylurea‐resistant (SU‐R) M. vaginalis populations, we investigated (i) if each SU‐R population was a single SU‐R biotype or a mixture of several SU‐R biotypes using restriction analysis or direct sequencing of acetolacatate synthase (ALS) genes and (ii) genetic diversity of SU‐R and ‐susceptible (S) populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis. Nineteen or 20 individuals were sampled from four SU‐R and five SU‐S populations respectively. Amino acid substitutions conferring resistance in the SU‐R populations were Pro197Ser in the ALS1 or ALS3, or Asp376Glu in the ALS1 and each SU‐R population was composed of a single SU‐R biotype. In cluster analysis each SU‐R individual formed a cluster, whereas the individuals from a SU‐S population belonged to different clusters. Some SU‐R populations showed polymorphic AFLP loci. The results indicated that these SU‐R biotypes emerged from a single mutational event and any gene flow of SU‐R genes from adjacent populations did not occur. A low level of outcrossing and recombinations of SU‐R genes occurred within some SU‐R populations of M. vaginalis.

No abstract

Fagopyrum (Polygonaceae) is a small genus including less than 30 species, mostly endemic to southern China. The genus includes two cultivated species, common buckwheat F. esculentum and Tartary buckwheat F. tataricum. Fagopyrum is clearly distinguished from other genus in Polygonaceae by the central position of embryo in achene. The genus is divided into two major groups, namely the cymosum group and the urophyllum group, based on morphological characters and molecular systematics. In the last three decades the number of species in the genus has doubled by the discovery of new species by Japanese and Chinese groups. Most of them are revealed to be included in the urophyllum group based on morphological and molecular genetic analyses. Molecular systematic surveys have also detected inappropriate treatment of some non-Fagopyrum species as new species or combination in the genus.

Some point mutations in acetolactate synthase (ALS) confer resistance to ALSinhibiting herbicides in weeds. To clarify the evolution of the herbicide resistance of Monochoria vaginalis, a weed in rice fields in Japan, the nucleotide sequences of four genes encoding ALS were surveyed in five sulfonylurea-resistant (SU-R) and five sulfonylurea-susceptible (SU-S) biotypes. In the ALS1 gene, two SU-R biotypes showed nucleotide substitutions changing Pro 197 to Ser and Leu, respectively. In a different gene, ALS3, three other SU-R biotypes showed either of the two nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions seen in ALS1. Only two biotypes geographically located distantly from each other shared the same mutation conferring SU resistance in the same gene. These patterns of nucleotide substitutions indicate that the SU-R phenotype was acquired independently by different biotypes. Nucleotide diversity values of the genes showing SU-R mutations were higher than those of ALS2 lacking any SU-R mutation and of a putative pseudogene, ALS4. This result suggests that the maintenance of nucleotide variability within target genes provides an opportunity for the evolution of SU-R phenotypes by herbicide-driven selection for mutations conferring resistance.

Nine Fagopyrum accessions which are suspected to be new species were examined for morphology and crossability with their closely related species. Three accessions similar to F. leptopodum are considered to be members of F. leptopodum because of no difference in 14 qualitative characters examined and fertility of hybrids between them. One accession similar to F. gracilipes is included in F. gracilipes by the same reason. Two other F. gracilipes-like accessions are considered to be a new species based on morphological differences and sterility of hybrids. Three accessions related to F. pleioramosum and F. callianthum had characters different from both species and could not be included into either species. Phylogenetic relationships among the suspected accessions and related species were examined based on isozyme variability and nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA). The accessions considered to be new species were distantly related to the group of their related species in the molecular phylogenetic trees. In contrast, those accessions considered to be F. leptopodum and the accession considered to be F. gracilipes based on morphological characters and crossability were included in the respective group of their related species. Thus these molecular phylogenetic trees support the classification based on morphology and crossability.

Genetic variability within and among eight landrace populations of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze) located in southern Kyoto, Japan, was surveyed with six microsatellite markers. The average number of alleles per locus was 3.83 to 4.67 for landrace populations, whereas the corresponding value among modern cultivars and breeding lines was 6.63. Expected heterozygosity values averaged over loci within landrace populations ranged from 0.498 to 0.723. A similar level of variation, 0.682, was observed for cultivars and breeding lines. High fixation index values (0.177-0.417) for each population are consistent with biparental inbreeding within the population. Genetic differentiation among local populations was extremely low with F ST = 0.062, although AMOVA revealed significant differentiation among landrace populations. We propose that these populations share a common ancestral gene pool and that some degree of artificial selection within each population has been performed by local farmers. Neighbor-joining analysis revealed that genetic relationships among populations reflect geographical location of populations. This might result from more frequent genetic exchange by nearby farmers.