Genetic variation of Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Chenopodium album L. (Amaranthaceae) suggests multiple independent introductions into Iran

Abstract

Amaranthus retroflexus L. and Chenopodium album L. (Amaranthaceae) are weedy plants that cause severe ecological and economic damage. In this study, we collected DNA from three different countries and assessed genetic diversity using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Our analysis shows both weed species have low genetic diversity within a population and high genetic diversity among populations, as well as a low value of gene flow among the populations. UPGMA clustering and principal coordinate analysis indicate four distinct groups for A. retroflexus L. and C. album L. exist. We detected significant isolation-by-distance for A. retroflexus L. and no significant correlation for C.album L. These conclusions are based data from 13 ISSR primers where the average percentage of polymorphism produced was 98.46% for A. retroflexus L. and 74.81% for C. album L.These data suggest that each population was independently introduced to the location from which it was sampled and these noxious weeds come armed with considerable genetic variability giving them the opportunity to manifest myriad traits that could be used to avoid management practices. Our results, albeit not definitive about this issue, do not support the native status of C. album L. in Iran.

Current status of community resources and priorities for weed genomics research

“…Biosecurity measures are often in place to stop the introduction of new weeds; however, the vast scale of global agricultural commodity trade precludes the possibility of total control. Population genomic analysis is now able to measure gene flow between populations [ 74 , 93 – 95 ] and identify populations of origin for invasive species including weeds [ 96 – 98 ]. For example, the invasion route of the pest fruitfly Drosophila suzukii from Eastern Asia to North America and Europe through Hawaii was deciphered using Approximate Bayesian Computation on high-throughput sequencing data from a global sample of multiple populations [ 99 ].…”

The International Weed Genomics Consortium: Community Resources for Weed Genomics Research

“…Biosecurity measures are often in place to stop the introduction of new weeds; however, the vast scale of global agricultural commodity trade precludes the possibility of total control. Population genomic analysis is now able to measure gene flow between populations [87,[106][107][108] and identify populations of origin for invasive species including weeds [109][110][111]. In particular, the invasion route of the pest fruitfly Drosophila suzukii from Eastern Asia to North America and Europe through Hawaii was deciphered using Approximate Bayesian Computation on high-throughput sequencing data from a global sample of multiple populations [112].…”