The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.

Phytophthora agathidicida is associated with a root rot that threatens the long-term survival of the iconic New Zealand kauri. Although it is widely assumed that this pathogen arrived in New Zealand post-1945, this hypothesis has yet to be formally tested. Here we describe evolutionary analyses aime...

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Main Authors: Richard C Winkworth, Stanley E Bellgard, Patricia A McLenachan, Peter J Lockhart
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2021-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250422
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author Richard C Winkworth
Stanley E Bellgard
Patricia A McLenachan
Peter J Lockhart
author_facet Richard C Winkworth
Stanley E Bellgard
Patricia A McLenachan
Peter J Lockhart
author_sort Richard C Winkworth
collection DOAJ
description Phytophthora agathidicida is associated with a root rot that threatens the long-term survival of the iconic New Zealand kauri. Although it is widely assumed that this pathogen arrived in New Zealand post-1945, this hypothesis has yet to be formally tested. Here we describe evolutionary analyses aimed at evaluating this and two alternative hypotheses. As a basis for our analyses, we assembled complete mitochondrial genome sequences from 16 accessions representing the geographic range of P. agathidicida as well as those of five other members of Phytophthora clade 5. All 21 mitogenome sequences were very similar, differing little in size with all sharing the same gene content and arrangement. We first examined the temporal origins of genetic diversity using a pair of calibration schemes. Both resulted in similar age estimates; specifically, a mean age of 303.0-304.4 years and 95% HPDs of 206.9-414.6 years for the most recent common ancestor of the included isolates. We then used phylogenetic tree building and network analyses to investigate the geographic distribution of the genetic diversity. Four geographically distinct genetic groups were recognised within P. agathidicida. Taken together the inferred age and geographic distribution of the sampled mitogenome diversity suggests that this pathogen diversified following arrival in New Zealand several hundred to several thousand years ago. This conclusion is consistent with the emergence of kauri dieback disease being a consequence of recent changes in the relationship between the pathogen, host, and environment rather than a post-1945 introduction of the causal pathogen into New Zealand.
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spelling doaj.art-70baa4bc553849578f863c8d5dfd302c2022-12-21T20:39:30ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032021-01-01165e025042210.1371/journal.pone.0250422The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.Richard C WinkworthStanley E BellgardPatricia A McLenachanPeter J LockhartPhytophthora agathidicida is associated with a root rot that threatens the long-term survival of the iconic New Zealand kauri. Although it is widely assumed that this pathogen arrived in New Zealand post-1945, this hypothesis has yet to be formally tested. Here we describe evolutionary analyses aimed at evaluating this and two alternative hypotheses. As a basis for our analyses, we assembled complete mitochondrial genome sequences from 16 accessions representing the geographic range of P. agathidicida as well as those of five other members of Phytophthora clade 5. All 21 mitogenome sequences were very similar, differing little in size with all sharing the same gene content and arrangement. We first examined the temporal origins of genetic diversity using a pair of calibration schemes. Both resulted in similar age estimates; specifically, a mean age of 303.0-304.4 years and 95% HPDs of 206.9-414.6 years for the most recent common ancestor of the included isolates. We then used phylogenetic tree building and network analyses to investigate the geographic distribution of the genetic diversity. Four geographically distinct genetic groups were recognised within P. agathidicida. Taken together the inferred age and geographic distribution of the sampled mitogenome diversity suggests that this pathogen diversified following arrival in New Zealand several hundred to several thousand years ago. This conclusion is consistent with the emergence of kauri dieback disease being a consequence of recent changes in the relationship between the pathogen, host, and environment rather than a post-1945 introduction of the causal pathogen into New Zealand.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250422
spellingShingle Richard C Winkworth
Stanley E Bellgard
Patricia A McLenachan
Peter J Lockhart
The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
PLoS ONE
title The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
title_full The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
title_fullStr The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
title_full_unstemmed The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
title_short The mitogenome of Phytophthora agathidicida: Evidence for a not so recent arrival of the "kauri killing" Phytophthora in New Zealand.
title_sort mitogenome of phytophthora agathidicida evidence for a not so recent arrival of the kauri killing phytophthora in new zealand
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0250422
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