Evaluation of the genetic structure of Bromus inermis populations from chemically and radioactively polluted areas using microsatellite markers from closely related species

Abstract

Hypothesis: The anthropogenic effects can be manifested in a decrease in genetic diversity and the population differentiation, and increase in the frequencies of rare and/or private alleles.

Materials and methods: We have selected a collection of primers for B. inermis, consisting of 21 microsatellite loci from B. sterilis, B. tectorum and Triticum aestivum.

Results: Only 38% of SSR primers showed good transferability and were used for B. inermis population studies from technogenic pollution areas. We revealed 42 alleles at eight loci, and the number of alleles per locus varied from one to 13 per populations. The percentage of polymorphic loci in B. inermis populations was 48.44%. A total of 22 rare, 14 private and 9 both rare and private alleles were reported. There were no correlations between geographic and genetic distances. Only 6.8% of the genetic variability was distributed among B. inermis populations.

Conclusion: There was no decrease in genetic diversity found in B. inermis populations growing under anthropogenic stress. No significant differences in the number of rare and private alleles in the background and impact populations of B. inermis were found. The smooth brome is characterized by low differentiation of the populations. Possible reasons for this phenomenon are discussed.

Keywords:

• Bromus inermis
• technogenic stress
• gene diversity
• rare alleles
• private alleles

Acknowledgments

We are greatly indebted to Anette Heber (IPK) for her help in the lab, Nicolay Erokhin for Bromus tectorum seed collection from the Museum of IPAE UB RAS (https://ipae.uran.ru/museum), Andrey Lyubchenko (https://www.plantarium.ru/page/personal/of/324.html) and Eugene Davkaev (https://www.plantarium.ru/page/personal/of/117.html) for Bromus sterilis seed collection. The authors also immensely thank Prof. Vera Pozolotina (IPAE UB RAS) for her help with the field research and fruitful discussion, and Prof. Elena Khlestkina (VIR) for her support at all stages of the work.

Author contributions

Dr. Elena V. Antonova (EVA) designed and suggested the project and together with Dr. Marion S. Röder (MSR) applied for Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Contract No. RO 1055/12-1). EVA performed all the laboratory manipulations, collected and analyzed the molecular data, prepared the draft tables, figures and manuscript. MSR contributed to work discussions. EVA and MSR had complete access to the study data and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This study was performed within the frameworks of state contract with the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences [АААА-А19-119032090023-0] and partly supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (project no 11-04-01260).

Notes on contributors

Elena V. Antonova

Dr. Elena V. Antonova, is a Senior Researcher at Population Radiobiology Laboratory, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Marion S. Röder

Marion S. Röder, is Head of Group of Gene and Genome Mapping, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research.