Species determination and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Betula inferred from multiple chloroplast and nuclear
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Species determination and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Betula inferred from multiple chloroplast and nuclear regions reveal the high methyl salicylate‑producing ability of the ancestor Kiran Singewar1,2 · Christian R. Moschner1 · Eberhard Hartung1 · Matthias Fladung2 Received: 11 July 2019 / Accepted: 29 April 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Abstract Key message The investigation provides initial knowledge on the distribution and evolution of the high and low methyl salicylate-producing trait in the Betula genus. Mislabelled birch species could be identified and removed. Abstract The genus Betula is the largest group of ecologically and economically dominant perennial woody plants in subalpine forests. The taxonomy of Betula is complex due to an extensive history of hybridization and periodic introgression events among the species. Although almost all land plants including birches produce methyl salicylate (MeSA) as a signaling molecule and in response to stress (“low MeSA producer”), some birch species produce high amounts of MeSA in the leaves and bark (“high MeSA producer”). Unfortunately, the evolution of high levels of MeSA production in the genus Betula remains unclear. The salicylic acid-binding protein 2 (SABP2) and salicylic acid methyltransferase (SAMT) genes involved in MeSA biosynthesis were incorporated into this study to examine the interspecific relationship of high and low MeSA-producing birches. Additionally, eight chloroplast and three nuclear regions were included to evaluate their potential application in species determination. The analysis resulted in 25 and 61 nucleotide variations, respectively, which allowed for a visualization of the genetic architecture in the 18 Betula species investigated. The high MeSA-producing B. lenta, B. grossa, and B. alleghaniensis formed the basal clade in the phylogenetic analysis, thus revealing their ancestral status, and the network analysis postulates that the diploid B. lenta is one of the ancestors of the genus Betula. The results indicate that the ability to produce high levels of MeSA that were initially present in the genus has been lost several times during its evolution. Placing species of the subgenus Acuminata alongside the subgenus Betula, together with a fragrance analysis, questions their ability to produce high levels of MeSA. Keywords Betula · Chloroplast · Methyl salicylate · Molecular marker · Nuclear · Phylogeny
Introduction
Communicated by J. Hormaza. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-020-01984-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Matthias Fladung [email protected] 1
Institute of Agricultural Process Engineering, ChristianAlbrechts University of Kiel, Max‑Eyth‑Strasse 6, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Thünen Institute of Forest Genetics, Sieker Landstrasse 2, 22927 Grosshansdorf, Germany
2
Birches (Betula L., Betulaceae) are ecologically important trees and shrubs that are widely distributed
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