Biology subjects

Arias, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Arias, T..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2023

Reconstructing the Phylogeny of Calliandra sect. Androcallis (Fabaceae): Insights from the Inclusion of Colombian Species, with a Focus on the Enigmatic Taxon Calliandra medellinensis

Phylogenetic relationships for the genus Calliandra section Androcallis (Fabaceae) were reconstructed, including previously sequenced species from Central and South America and unexamined species from Colombia, one of Calliandra main diversity centers. Here, we generated novel DNA sequences of Calliandra species from Colombia for the nuclear Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) and the chloroplast trnL and trnL-F intergenic spacer. By incorporating a broader taxonomic sampling, the relationships among main clades in Androcallis were clarified, providing a systematics framework in which to test evolutionary hypotheses. Phylogenetic analysis recovered five well-supported clades within Androcallis. Most species within each clade had similar geographical distributions and relationships between the five major clades are strongly supported for the first time. However, core Androcallis relationships, including most species from Colombia sequenced here, remain unclear. A second goal of this study was to determine the taxonomic status of Calliandra medellinensis. This enigmatic taxon emblematic of Medellin, Colombia, is found in limited numbers within the Aburra Valley and has been proposed to be a hybrid taxon. Here, C. medellinensis, C. magdalenae and C. haematocephala were not monophyletic within the core Androcallis clade. This suggests that C. medellinensis could potentially be an interspecific hybrid between C. magdalenae and C. haematocephala, thus challenging the taxonomic status of this species; however, more informative molecular markers should be used in future studies. Specifically, genomic studies should assess interspecific hybridization demographic models. Such insights can illuminate the C. medellinensis origin, guiding conservation strategies and providing valuable evolutionary overviews.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

The molecular basis of Kale domestication: Transcription profiling of leaves and meristems provides new insights into the evolution of a Brassica oleracea vegetative morphotype

Morphotypes of Brassica oleracea are the result of a dynamic interaction between genes that regulate the transition between vegetative and reproductive stages and those that regulate leaf morphology and plant architecture. In kales ornate leaves, delayed flowering, and nutritional quality are some of the characters potentially selected by humans during domestication. We used a combination of developmental studies and transcriptomics to understand the vegetative domestication syndrome of kale. To identify candidate genes that are responsible for the evolution of domestic kale we searched for transcriptome-wide differences among three vegetative B. oleracea morphotypes. RNAseq experiments were used to understand the global pattern of expressed genes during one single phase of development in kale, cabbage and the rapid cycling kale line TO1000. We identified gene expression patterns that differ among morphotypes, and estimate the contribution of morphotype-specific gene expression that sets kale apart (3958 differentially expressed genes). Differentially expressed genes that regulate the vegetative to reproductive transition were abundant in all morphotypes. Genes involved in leaf morphology, plan architecture, defense and nutrition were differentially expressed in kale. RNA-Seq experiments allow the discovery of novel candidate genes involved in the kale domestication syndrome. We identified candidate genes differentially expressed in kale that could be responsible for variation in flowering times, taste and herbivore defense, variation in leaf morphology, plant architecture, and nutritional value. Understanding candidate genes responsible for kale domestication is of importance to ultimately improve Cole crop production.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Hundreds of nuclear and plastid loci yield insights into orchid relationships

Premise of the studyEvolutionary relationships in the species-rich Orchidaceae have historically relied on organellar DNA sequences and limited taxon sampling. Previous studies provided a robust plastid-maternal phylogenetic framework, from which multiple hypotheses on the drivers of orchid diversification have been derived. However, the extent to which the maternal evolutionary history of orchids is congruent with that of the nuclear genome has remained uninvestigated. MethodsWe inferred phylogenetic relationships from 294 low-copy nuclear genes sequenced/obtained using the Angiosperms353 universal probe set from 75 species representing 69 genera, 16 tribes and 24 subtribes. To test for topological incongruence between nuclear and plastid genomes, we constructed a tree from 78 plastid genes, representing 117 genera, 18 tribes and 28 subtribes and compared them using a co-phylogenetic approach. The phylogenetic informativeness and support of the Angiosperms353 loci were compared with those of the 78 plastid genes. Key ResultsPhylogenetic inferences of nuclear datasets produced highly congruent and robustly supported orchid relationships. Comparisons of nuclear gene trees and plastid gene trees using the latest co-phylogenetic tools revealed strongly supported phylogenetic incongruence in both shallow and deep time. Phylogenetic informativeness analyses showed that the Angiosperms353 genes were in general more informative than most plastid genes. ConclusionsOur study provides the first robust nuclear phylogenomic framework for Orchidaceae plus an assessment of intragenomic nuclear discordance, plastid-nuclear tree incongruence, and phylogenetic informativeness across the family. Our results also demonstrate what has long been known but rarely documented: nuclear and plastid phylogenetic trees are not fully congruent and therefore should not be considered interchangeable.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Facilitating candidate gene discovery in an emerging model plant lineage: Transcriptomic and genomic resources for Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae)

The plant genus Thalictrum is a representative of the order Ranunculales (a sister lineage to all other Eudicots) with diverse floral morphologies, encompassing four sexual systems and two pollination modes. Previous studies suggest multiple transitions from insect to wind pollination within this genus, in association with polyploidy and unisexual flowers, but the underlying genes remain unknown. We generated a draft reference genome for Thalictrum thalictroides, a representative of a clade with ancestral floral traits (diploidy, hermaphroditism, and insect pollination) and a model for functional studies. To facilitate candidate gene discovery in flowers with different sexual and pollination systems we also generated floral transcriptomes of T. thalictroides and of wind-pollinated, andromonoecious (staminate and hermaphroditic flowers on the same plant) T. hernandezii. The T. thalictroides draft genome assembly consisted of 44,860 contigs (N50=12,761 bp. and 243 Mbp. total length) and contained 84.5% conserved embryophyte single-copy genes. Floral transcriptomes from Illumina sequencing and de novo assembly contained representatives of most eukaryotic core genes (approximately 80%), with most of their genes falling into common orthologous groups (orthogroups). Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) motifs were also identified, which together with the single-copy genes constitute a resource for population-level or phylogenetic studies. Finally, to validate the utility of these resources, putative candidate genes were identified for the different floral morphologies using stepwise dataset comparisons. In conclusion, we present genomic and transcriptomic resources for Thalictrum, including the first genome of T. thalictroides and potential candidate genes for flowers with distinct sexual and pollination systems.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Genome-wide diversity of northern South America cultivated Coconut (Cocus nucifera L.) uncovers diversification times and targets of domestication of coconut globally

Coconut palms (Cocos nucifera) are a combination of wild admixed populations and perennial crops with a worldwide distribution. Here we develop single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) along the coconut genome based on Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) for at least four different commercially important and widely cultivated coconut varieties and hybrids growing in northern South America. We present a comprehensive catalog of approximately 27K SNPs to conduct genetic diversity, population structure and linkage disequilibrium analysis. A relatively fast LD decay for the Atlantic accessions within ~250Kb was observed in comparison to the Pacific accessions ~ 1500 Kb. The complete SNPs sampling showed a strong population structure at K = 2, separating accessions from the Pacific and Atlantic coasts as it has been found in previous studies. At higher K values, one non-admixed group was observed for the Atlantic while further substructures emerged for the Pacific accessions, where three non-admixed groups were found. Population structure analysis also showed a great degree of admixture between the Atlantic and Pacific populations, and SNPs of the Pacific non-admixed genetic groups were mostly introgressed into the Atlantic individuals but the contrary was rarely observed. The results of principal component analysis and Neighbor-Joining Hierarchical Clustering were consistent with the results from Structure and provided a measure of genetic relationships among individual genotypes. The Pacific group has a lower genetic diversity and a higher rate of inbreeding than the Atlantic group. These results suggest that the Pacific coconuts of Colombia belong to the pre-Columbian population found on the Pacific coast of Panama and Peru. If it had been introduced after Columbus (as in Mexico), genetic diversity would have been higher than on the Atlantic coast.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2019

Plastid phylogenomics of the orchid family: Solving phylogenetic ambiguities within Cymbidieae and Orchidoideae

Recent phylogenomic analyses based on the maternally inherited plastid organelle have enlightened evolutionary relationships between the subfamilies of Orchidaceae and most of the tribes. However, uncertainty remains within several subtribes and genera for which phylogenetic relationships have not ever been tested in a phylogenomic context. To address these knowledge-gaps, we here provide the most extensively sampled analysis of the orchid family to date, based on 78 plastid coding genes representing 264 species, 117 genera, 18 tribes and 28 subtribes. Divergence times are also provided as inferred from strict and relaxed molecular clocks and birth-death tree models. Our taxon sampling includes 51 newly sequenced plastid genomes produced by a genome skimming approach. We focus our sampling efforts on previously unplaced clades within tribes Cymbidieae and Epidendreae. Our results confirmed phylogenetic relationships in Orchidaceae as recovered in previous studies, most of which were recovered with maximum support (209 of the 262 tree nodes). We provide for the first time a clear phylogenetic placement for Codonorchideae within subfamily Orchidoideae, and Podochilieae and Collabieae within subfamily Epidendroideae. We also identify relationships that have been persistently problematic across multiple studies, regardless of the different details of sampling and genomic datasets used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Our study provides an expanded, robust temporal phylogenomic framework of the Orchidaceae that paves the way for biogeographical and macroevolutionary studies.

evolutionary biology↗