Population genetic diversity and geographical differentiation of MHC class II DAB genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Wei, Lei; Fang, Wenzhen; Zhou, Xiaoping; Lin, Qihang; Chen, Xiaolin

doi:10.1007/s10592-016-0876-8

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…The patterns of isolation by distance (IBD) were also not detected in the present study, suggesting that the differentiation among XRT and MTS at TLR5 loci was not related to geographic distance. Moreover, Bayesian analysis in STRUCTURE showed that the four populations of this egret had high levels of admixture, consistent with our previous report that these four populations in China might be considered as a single adaptive unit for conservation [3].…”

Section: Population Differentiation and Population Structuresupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Loss of genetic variability and inbreeding depression may consequentially increase extinction risk for threatened species by decreasing reproductive fitness and adaptive potential and increasing disease susceptibility in a changing environment [1]. Thus, understanding genetic diversity and the spatial structure of threatened populations is crucial for developing effective conservation and management plans [2,3].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Today, the main threat to this species is the ongoing loss and degradation of coastal wetland habitats and uninhabited offshore breeding islands due to human activities, such as reclamation, infrastructure, pollution, industry, aquaculture, agriculture, excessive fishing, alien species, climate change, egg collection for food, tourism disturbances and illegal hunting [26,27]. In our previous studies, we found that the genetic diversity of the Chinese egret was relatively high in mtDNA and at a low level in MHC class II DAB genes [3,5], and their populations had low but significant amounts of genetic differentiation with weak geographical structure. To expand our previous work, this study aimed specifically to: 1) access TLR genetic diversity in the vulnerable Chinese egret and compare the results with a common Ardeid species, the little egret (Egretta garzetta), and other reported avian species; 2) analyze selection in the evolution of TLRs in this egret; and 3) detect population differentiation and population structure for TLRs in the Chinese egret and delineate a conservation unit for this vulnerable species across China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic diversity of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Zhou

Fang

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes have recently been employed to assess genetic diversity, as they can be used to infer both demographic history and adaptation to environments with different pathogen pressure. Here, we sampled 120 individuals of the Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes), a globally vulnerable species, from four breeding populations across China. We assessed the levels of genetic diversity, selection pressure, and population differentiation at seven TLR loci (TLR1LB, TLR2A, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5, TLR7, and TLR15). Using a variety of metrics (SNPs, heterozygosity, nucleotides, haplotypes), our analyses showed that genetic diversity was lower at 4 of the 7 TLR loci in the vulnerable Chinese egret compared to the more common little egret (Egretta garzetta). The selection test indicated TLRs, except for TLR5, were under purifying selection in TLR evolution, suggesting that low TLR genetic diversity in the Chinese egret may be caused by purifying selection. Moreover, analysis of molecular variance indicated low but significant population differentiation among four populations at all of the TLR loci in this egret. However, some comparisons based on fixation index analyses did not show significant population differentiation, and Bayesian clustering showed admixture. Our finding suggested that these four populations of the Chinese egret in China may be considered a single unit for conservation planning. These results, the new report of TLR genetic diversity in a long-distance migratory vulnerable Ardeid species, will provide fundamental TLR information for further studies on the conservation genetics of the Chinese egret and other Ardeids.

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Section: Population Differentiation and Population Structuresupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Genetic diversity of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Zhou

Fang

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Primer development of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes) and its applicability in Ardeidae

Zhou

Fang

et al. 2020

Conservation Genet Resour

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Very high MHC Class IIB diversity without spatial differentiation in the mediterranean population of greater Flamingos

et al. 2017

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BackgroundSelective pressure from pathogens is thought to shape the allelic diversity of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes in vertebrates. In particular, both local adaptation to pathogens and gene flow are thought to explain a large part of the intraspecific variation observed in MHC allelic diversity. To date, however, evidence that adaptation to locally prevalent pathogens maintains MHC variation is limited to species with limited dispersal and, hence, reduced gene flow. On the one hand high gene flow can disrupt local adaptation in species with high dispersal rates, on the other hand such species are much more likely to experience spatial variation in pathogen pressure, suggesting that there may be intense pathogen mediated selection pressure operating across breeding sites in panmictic species. Such pathogen mediated selection pressure operating across breeding sites should therefore be sufficient to maintain high MHC diversity in high dispersing species in the absence of local adaptation mechanisms. We used the Greater Flamingo, Phoenicopterus roseus, a long-lived colonial bird showing a homogeneous genetic structure of neutral markers at the scale of the Mediterranean region, to test the prediction that higher MHC allelic diversity with no population structure should occur in large panmictic populations of long-distance dispersing birds than in other resident species.ResultsWe assessed the level of allelic diversity at the MHC Class IIB exon 2 from 116 individuals born in four different breeding colonies of Greater Flamingo in the Mediterranean region. We found one of the highest allelic diversity (109 alleles, 2 loci) of any non-passerine avian species investigated so far relative to the number of individuals and loci genotyped. There was no evidence of population structure between the four major Mediterranean breeding colonies.ConclusionOur results suggest that local adaptation at MHC Class IIB in Greater Flamingos is constrained by high gene flow and high MHC diversity appears to be maintained by population wide pathogen-mediated selection rather than local pathogen-mediated selection. Further understanding of how pathogens vary across space and time will be crucial to further elucidate the mechanisms maintaining MHC diversity in species with large panmictic populations and high dispersal rates.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-0905-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Population genetic diversity and geographical differentiation of MHC class II DAB genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Cited by 5 publications

References 62 publications

Genetic diversity of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Genetic diversity of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes)

Primer development of toll-like receptor genes in the vulnerable Chinese egret (Egretta eulophotes) and its applicability in Ardeidae

Very high MHC Class IIB diversity without spatial differentiation in the mediterranean population of greater Flamingos

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