Patterns of genetic divergence among populations of the pseudometallophyte Biscutella laevigata from southern Poland

Abstract

Background and aims Pseudometallophytes are model organisms for adaptation and population differentiation because they persist in contrasting edaphic conditions of metalliferous and non-metalliferous habitats. We examine patterns of genetic divergence and local adaptation of Biscutella laevigata to assess historical and evolutionary processes shaping its genetic structure. Methods We sampled all known populations of B. laevigata in Poland and analyzed respective soil metal concentrations. For genotyping we used nine nuclear microsatellite loci. Population genetic pools were identified (Bayesian clustering) and we estimated genetic parameters and demographic divergence between metallicolous and non-metallicolous populations (ABCapproach). Results Populations clustered into two groups which corresponded to their edaphic origin and diverged 1,200 generations ago. We detected a significant decrease in genetic diversity and evidence for a recent bottleneck in metallicolous populations. Genetic structure was unrelated to site distribution but is rather influenced by environmental conditions (i.e. soil metal concentration). Conclusions The intriguing disjunctive distribution of B. laevigata in Poland results from a fragmentation of the species range during the Holocene, rather than recent long-distance-dispersal events. The genetic structure of populations, however, continues to be modified by microevolutionary processes at anthropogenic sites. These clear divergence patterns promote B. laevigata as a model species for plant adaptation to polluted environments.

Evolutionary dynamics of quantitative variation in an adaptive trait at the regional scale: The case of zinc hyperaccumulation in Arabidopsis halleri

“…Whether or not metal soil pollution could have favoured local survival remains elusive. A similar scenario was recently proposed for another pseudometallophyte species from the Brassicaceae family ( Biscutella laevigata ) in the same region (Babst‐Kostecka et al., ). Interestingly, this scenario also helps explaining the lack of reduced genetic variability in M populations from Silesia (Figure ).…”

“…Given the recent history of metalliferous habitats, mostly of anthropogenic origin (Domergue & Leroy, 2000), and the founder effects that may result from the colonization and adaptation to metal-enriched soils, the level of neutral genetic diversity is expected to be reduced in M compared to NM populations (Lefèbvre & Vernet, 1990). This rationale has been confirmed by several studies (Babst- Kostecka, Parisod, Gode, Vollenweider, & Pauwels, 2014;Mengoni et al, 2001;Wójcik, Dresler, Jawor, Kowalczyk, & Tukiendorf, 2013). Other investigations, however, found similar levels of neutral genetic variability in both M and NM populations (Baumbach & Hellwig, 2007;Bizoux, Daïnou, Raspé, Lutts, & Mahy, 2008;Pauwels, Saumitou-Laprade, Holl, Petit, & Bonnin, 2005;Pošćić et al, 2015), or even higher variability in M populations (Dresler et al, 2015;Li et al, 2016;Słomka et al, 2011).…”

Microevolution on Anthropogenically Changed Areas on the Example of Biscutella laevigata Plants from Calamine Waste Heap in Poland

“…This is evidenced by the strong genetic diversity of the analyzed populations ( Figure 10) [17]. The existence of strong genetic diversity between the Tatra and Boleslaw populations was also demonstrated by BabstKostecka et al [63].…”

Do heavy-metal grassland species survive under a Scots pine canopy during early stages of secondary succession?

“…The most valuable components of the studied plant community are species that make the Olkusz heavymetal grassland unique: Biscutella laevigata, a local metallophyte (Babst-Kostecka et al 2014), and Gentianella germanica, whose population has apparently adapted to elevated soil loads of heavy metals (Grześ 2007). They co-occurred with metal-tolerant populations/ecotypes of common dry grassland species such as Silene vulgaris, Leontodon hispidus s.l., Festuca ovina and Potentilla arenaria.…”

“…As such, it seems to explain the distribution of Biscutella laevigata. This plant is a mountain species (Babst-Kostecka et al 2014) which only exceptionally occurs in lowland localities. In the studied grassland, it preferred colder and wetter plots, that is, those with a northern exposure; the same was observed by Dobrzańska (1955).…”