Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera
Taxa are traditionally identified using morphological proxies for groups of evolutionarily isolated populations. These proxies are common characters deemed by taxonomists as significant. However, there is no general rule on which character or sets of characters are appropriate to circumscribe taxa,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Plant Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1113274/full |
| _version_ | 1797814160195584000 |
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| author | Huayu Zhang Huayu Zhang Junyi Ding Junyi Ding Norbert Holstein Nian Wang Nian Wang |
| author_facet | Huayu Zhang Huayu Zhang Junyi Ding Junyi Ding Norbert Holstein Nian Wang Nian Wang |
| author_sort | Huayu Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Taxa are traditionally identified using morphological proxies for groups of evolutionarily isolated populations. These proxies are common characters deemed by taxonomists as significant. However, there is no general rule on which character or sets of characters are appropriate to circumscribe taxa, leading to discussions and uncertainty. Birch species are notoriously hard to identify due to strong morphological variability and factors such as hybridization and the existence of several ploidy levels. Here, we present evidence for an evolutionarily isolated line of birches from China that are not distinguishable by traditionally assumed taxon recognition proxies, such as fruit or leaf characters. We have discovered that some wild material in China and some cultivated in the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, formerly recognized as Betula luminifera, differ from other individuals by having a peeling bark and a lack of cambial fragrance. We use restriction site-associated DNA sequencing and flow cytometry to study the evolutionary status of the unidentified Betula samples to assess the extent of hybridization between the unidentified Betula samples and typical B. luminifera in natural populations. Molecular analyses show the unidentified Betula samples as a distinct lineage and reveal very little genetic admixture between the unidentified samples and B. luminifera. This may also be facilitated by the finding that B. luminifera is tetraploid, while the unidentified samples turned out to be diploid. We therefore conclude that the samples represent a yet unrecognized species, which is here described as Betula mcallisteri. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:03:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a96c7ae9387944d6be8b36c9b5c8fc03 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-462X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T08:03:28Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Plant Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-a96c7ae9387944d6be8b36c9b5c8fc032023-06-01T10:14:01ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2023-05-011410.3389/fpls.2023.11132741113274Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminiferaHuayu Zhang0Huayu Zhang1Junyi Ding2Junyi Ding3Norbert Holstein4Nian Wang5Nian Wang6State Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of The Yellow River, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaMountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaState Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of The Yellow River, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaMountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaDepartment of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United KingdomState Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Silviculture in Downstream Areas of The Yellow River, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaMountain Tai Forest Ecosystem Research Station of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, College of Forestry, Shandong Agricultural University, Tai’an, Shandong, ChinaTaxa are traditionally identified using morphological proxies for groups of evolutionarily isolated populations. These proxies are common characters deemed by taxonomists as significant. However, there is no general rule on which character or sets of characters are appropriate to circumscribe taxa, leading to discussions and uncertainty. Birch species are notoriously hard to identify due to strong morphological variability and factors such as hybridization and the existence of several ploidy levels. Here, we present evidence for an evolutionarily isolated line of birches from China that are not distinguishable by traditionally assumed taxon recognition proxies, such as fruit or leaf characters. We have discovered that some wild material in China and some cultivated in the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, formerly recognized as Betula luminifera, differ from other individuals by having a peeling bark and a lack of cambial fragrance. We use restriction site-associated DNA sequencing and flow cytometry to study the evolutionary status of the unidentified Betula samples to assess the extent of hybridization between the unidentified Betula samples and typical B. luminifera in natural populations. Molecular analyses show the unidentified Betula samples as a distinct lineage and reveal very little genetic admixture between the unidentified samples and B. luminifera. This may also be facilitated by the finding that B. luminifera is tetraploid, while the unidentified samples turned out to be diploid. We therefore conclude that the samples represent a yet unrecognized species, which is here described as Betula mcallisteri.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1113274/fullBetulabotanic gardenintrogressionRAD-seqpolyploid |
| spellingShingle | Huayu Zhang Huayu Zhang Junyi Ding Junyi Ding Norbert Holstein Nian Wang Nian Wang Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera Frontiers in Plant Science Betula botanic garden introgression RAD-seq polyploid |
| title | Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera |
| title_full | Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera |
| title_fullStr | Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera |
| title_full_unstemmed | Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera |
| title_short | Betula mcallisteri sp. nov. (sect. Acuminatae, Betulaceae), a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation, and its relation to the widespread B. luminifera |
| title_sort | betula mcallisteri sp nov sect acuminatae betulaceae a new diploid species overlooked in the wild and in cultivation and its relation to the widespread b luminifera |
| topic | Betula botanic garden introgression RAD-seq polyploid |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2023.1113274/full |
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