Conservation genetics of Kincaid's lupine : a threatened plant of western Oregon and southwest Washington grasslands

Kincaid's lupine (Lupinus oreganus Heller) is a federally listed threatened species native to remnant grassland of western Oregon and southwestern Washington, and is the primary larval host plant of a once thought extinct butterfly, Plebejus icarioides fenderi Macy. Past studies concerning Kincaid's lupine reproduction suggested that populations may suffer reductions in fitness and progeny vigor due to inbreeding depression, but no direct investigation into range-wide patterns of genetic variation has been undertaken. I used nuclear DNA and chloroplast DNA simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers to determine genet size and patterns of non-adventitious rhizomatous lupine spread, to estimate the number of genets within Kincaid's lupine populations, and to assess whether seed transfer for the purpose of genetic rescue is an appropriate genetics management strategy for Kincaid's lupine. Patterns of allelic diversity at nDNA SSR loci within study patches revealed that non-adventitious spread of rhizomes can extend to at least 27 m and may dominate a portion of a lupine patch or small population. However, genet spread and arrangement in study patches were sufficiently integrated such that interplantlet Bombus foraging flights exceeding 2 m had > 90% probability of occurring between different genets. Within-lupine patch genetic diversity was well-undersampled, refuting the supposition that Kincaid's lupine populations suffer from inbreeding depression due to small effective population sizes. Estimation of Kincaid's lupine abundance through leaf cover and inflorescence number was tightly correlated with plantlet number, a unit of vegetative and sexual growth, within lupine patches but the relationship was not consistent between patches within populations or between populations. We used genet to plantlet ratios (determined through genotyping) and plantlet density to estimate genet population size in Kincaid's lupine patches. Because of the strong correlation between cover and plantlet density, historically collected lupine abundance data could be used to estimate genet population size provided that plantlet density is calibrated to patch-specific cover measurements. Within patches and populations across the range of Kincaid's lupine there was little DNA evidence suggesting severe inbreeding. Only one of 24 populations and five study patches had strong statistical evidence of a recent genetic bottleneck despite the range-wide fragmentation of lupine populations and habitat. Mean population fixation index values for nearly half of the populations were near Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations and only one small lupine population had a F-value > 0.20, suggestive of high inbreeding levels. Half of the populations actually had an excess of heterozygotes, suggesting that genetic diversity is not being lost. Chloroplast DNA coincides well with the observation that genetic diversity is not being lost through inbreeding or genetic bottlenecking in Kincaid's lupine. The mean number of cpDNA haplotypes per population was approximately 4 maternal lineages, which is very high for an animal pollinated plant with heavy seeds that have limited dispersal. Even relatively small populations of Kincaid's lupine had 2 or more cpDNA haplotypes, indicating that populations are not severely inbred. Both nuclear and chloroplast DNA SSR genetic marker diversity suggests that Kincaid's lupine does not require genetic rescue for effective conservation. Due to the longevity of Kincaid's lupine and the apparently large amount of within population genetic diversity, the encouragement of natural recruitment from vegetation management that improves habitat conditions is likely to maintain the relatively large amount of genetic diversity within Kincaid's lupine populations

Low relative error in consumer-grade GPS units make themideal for measuring small-scale animal movement patterns

Consumer-grade GPS units are a staple of modern field ecology, but the relatively large error radii reported by manufacturers (up to 10 m) ostensibly precludes their utility in measuring fine-scale movement of small animals such as insects. Here we demonstrate that for data collected at fine spatio-temporal scales, these devices can produce exceptionally accurate data on step-length and movement patterns of small animals. With an understanding of the properties of GPS error and how it arises, it is possible, using a simple field protocol, to use consumer grade GPS units to collect step-length data for the movement of small animals that introduces a median error as small as 11 cm. These small error rates were measured in controlled observations of real butterfly movement. Similar conclusions were reached using a ground-truth test track prepared with a field tape and compass and subsequently measured 20 times using the same methodology as the butterfly tracking. Median error in the ground-truth track was slightly higher than the field data, mostly between 20 and 30 cm, but even for the smallest ground-truth step (70 cm), this is still a signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1, and for steps of 3mor more, the ratio is greater than 10:1. Such small errors relative to the movements being measured make these inexpensive units useful for measuring insect and other small animal movements on small to intermediate scales with budgets orders of magnitude lower than survey-grade units used in past studies. As an additional advantage, these units are simpler to operate, and insect or other small animal trackways can be collected more quickly than either survey-grade units or more traditional ruler/gird approaches.Keywords: Insect movement, Butterfly movement, Checkerspot butterflies, Tracking methods, Animal tracking, Euphydrays, Movement ecologyThis is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by the author(s) and published by PeerJ. The published article can be found at: https://peerj.com

Taxonomic Clarification of Lupinus oreganus and Lupinus biddlei in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Through a phylogenetic study Using LECCYCIA nucleotide sequences and a survey of historical Botanical literature, we propose clarifications in the nomenclature of Lupinus oreganus and Lupinus biddlei. The former taxon has been incorrectly classified as Lupinus sulphurcus ssp. kincaidii and recently as L. oreganus var. kincaidii. The latter has recently been incorrectly delimited as L. oreganus var. oreganus.This is the publisher’s final pdf. The published article is copyrighted by Western North American Naturalist Publications and can be found at: https://ojs.lib.byu.edu/wnan/.Keywords: Genes, Leguminosa

The distribution of onion virulence gene clusters among Pantoea spp.

Pantoea ananatis is a gram-negative bacterium and the primary causal agent of center rot of onions in Georgia. Previous genomic studies identified two virulence gene clusters, HiVir and alt, associated with center rot. The HiVir gene cluster is required to induce necrosis on onion tissues via synthesis of pantaphos, (2-hydroxy[phosphonomethyl) maleate), a phosphonate phytotoxin. The alt gene cluster aids in tolerance to thiosulfinates generated during onion tissue damage. Whole genome sequencing of other Pantoea species suggests that these gene clusters are present outside of P. ananatis. To assess the distribution of these gene clusters, two PCR primer sets were designed to detect the presence of HiVir and alt. Two hundred fifty-two strains of Pantoea spp. were phenotyped using the red onion scale necrosis (RSN) assay and were genotyped using PCR for the presence of these virulence genes. A diverse panel of strains from three distinct culture collections comprised of 24 Pantoea species, 41 isolation sources, and 23 countries, collected from 1946–2019, was tested. There is a significant association between the alt PCR assay and Pantoea strains recovered from symptomatic onion (P < 0.001). There is also a significant association of a positive HiVir PCR and RSN assay among P. ananatis strains but not among Pantoea spp., congeners. This may indicate a divergent HiVir cluster or different pathogenicity and virulence mechanisms. Last, we describe natural alt positive [RSN C /HiVir C /alt C ] P. ananatis strains, which cause extensive bulb necrosis in a neck-to-bulb infection assay compared to alt negative [RSN C /HiVir C /alt] P. ananatis strains. A combination of assays that include PCR of virulence genes [HiVir and alt] and an RSN assay can potentially aid in identification of onion-bulb-rotting pathogenic P. ananatis strains.The Vidalia Onion Committee, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), ANII, Uruguay), CSIC Grupos de Investigación I + D 2000 (CSIC, Udelar, Uruguay), Specialty Crops Research Initiative Award from the USDA, and National Institute of Food and Agriculture.http://www.frontiersin.org/Plant_Scienceam2022BiochemistryForestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI)GeneticsMicrobiology and Plant Patholog

Seasonality, habitat preference and life history of some Willamette Valley wet prairie terrestrial molluscs in western Oregon, USA

Volume: 48Start Page: 220End Page: 22

Dispersal Kernel Type Highly Influences Projected Relationships for Plant Disease Epidemic Severity When Outbreak and At-Risk Populations Differ in Susceptibility

In silico study of biologically invading organisms provide a means to evaluate the complex and potentially cryptic factors that can influence invasion success in scenarios where empirical studies would be difficult, if not impossible, to conduct. I used a disease event simulation program to evaluate whether the two most frequently used types of plant pathogen dispersal kernels for epidemiological projections would provide complementary or divergent projections of epidemic severity when the hosts in a disease outbreak differed from the hosts in the at-risk population in the degree of susceptibility. Exponential dispersal kernel simulations of wheat stripe rust (Pucciniastriiformis var trittici) predicted a relatively strong and dominant influence of the at-risk population on the end epidemic severity regardless of outbreak disease levels. Simulations using a modified power law dispersal kernel gave projections that varied depending on the amount of disease in the outbreak and some interactions were counter-intuitive and opposite of the exponential dispersal kernel projections. Although relatively straightforward, the disease spread simulations in the present study strongly suggest that a more biologically accurate dispersal kernel generates complexity that would not be revealed by an exponential dispersal gradient and that selecting a less accurate dispersal kernel may obscure important interactions during biological invasions

Road crossing behavior of an endangered grassland butterfly, Icaricia icarioides fenderi macy (lycaenidae), between a subdivided population

Volume: 62Start Page: 53End Page: 5

The effects of a fall prescribed burn on Hemileuca eglanterina Boisduval (Saturniidae)

Volume: 57Start Page: 137End Page: 14

SEX BIAS ADULT FEEDING FOR GUMWEED (ASTERACEAE) FLOWER NECTAR AND EXTRAFLORAL RESIN BY A WETLAND POPULATION OF LYCAENA XANTHOIDES (BOISDUVAL) (LYCAENIDAE)

Volume: 63Start Page: 83End Page: 8