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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Latitudinal structured populations of the Mexican wild squash Cucurbita argyrosperma subsp. sororia revealed by microsatellite markers

Francisco J. Balvino-Olvera A B C , Karman F. Sánchez-Gómez A B C , Jorge Arturo Lobo D , Germán Avila-Sakar A E , Rogelio Cruz-Reyes A F , Gumersindo Sánchez-Montoya A B , Yvonne Herrerías-Diego A C , Antonio González-Rodríguez A B and Mauricio Quesada A B G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Laboratorio Nacional de Análisis Síntesis Ecológica, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán 58190, México.

B Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán 58190, México.

C Facultad de Biología, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Ciudad Universitaria, Morelia, Michoacán 58030, México.

D Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica, San Pedro, Costa Rica.

E Department of Biology, The University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B2E9, Canada.

F Facultad en Desarrollo Sustentable, Campus Costa Grande, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Carretera Federal Acapulco-Zihuatanejo km 106, Técpan de Galeana, Guerrero, 40900, México.

G Corresponding author. Email: mquesada@cieco.unam.mx

Crop and Pasture Science 68(9) 850-858 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP17341
Submitted: 15 September 2017  Accepted: 25 October 2017   Published: 15 November 2017

Abstract

Crop wild relatives represent an important agronomic resource for crop improvement and biodiversity conservation. The wild squash Cucurbita argyrosperma subsp. sororia. (Cucurbitaceae) has been considered the wild ancestor of cultivated forms of C. argyrosperma. In order to characterise the geographic patterns of genetic variation in this wild cucurbit and to identify priority areas for conservation, we analysed the genetic diversity and structure of natural populations along the Mexican Pacific coast. By using 14 polymorphic microsatellites, we genotyped 378 individuals sampled from 61 locations. Standard population genetics analyses and group testing were conducted on the genotypes with the aid of principal coordinate analysis and Bayesian analysis. Overall, we found an average of 12.3 alleles per locus and an expected heterozygosity of 0.756. We found greater genetic diversity in southern populations. The fixation index was 0.113, suggesting a mixed mating system. The Mantel test revealed a minor distance effect on genetic differentiation between individuals (r = 0.321). Finally, we found three main groups of populations arranged in a mostly latitudinal pattern, from Sinaloa (north-west) to Oaxaca–Guerrero (south-east). The greater genetic diversity and heterogeneity among southern populations (Guerrero–Oaxaca), suggests that this region is an important centre of diversity of this wild squash with important implications for conservation.

Additional keywords: gene flow, genetic structure, plant mating systems, plant reproduction, SSR’s, wild and cultivated species, wild gourds.


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