HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Ramakrishnan, A. P. Articles by Fairbanks, D. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Ramakrishnan, A. P. Articles by Fairbanks, D. J. Agricola Articles by Ramakrishnan, A. P. Articles by Fairbanks, D. J.

Correlation between molecular markers and adaptively significant genetic variation in Bromus tectorum (Poaceae), an inbreedingannual grass¹

²USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Shrub Sciences Laboratory, Provo, Utah 84606 USA; ³Plant and Animal Sciences Department, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602 USA

Single sequence repeat (SSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphic (AFLP) molecular marker genotypes in cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) were compared to published data on phenotypic variation in seed dormancy, vernalization requirement, and resistance to the pathogen Ustilago bullata. Several features of cheatgrass facilitated this study: it is a recent invader in the western United States, has considerable phenotypic polymorphism, and is an obligate self-pollinator. Forty self-pollinating lines from four populations common to the three phenotypic data sets were analyzed for molecular genetic variation using seven SSR loci and 31 AFLP loci. We examined correlations between distance matrices using the Mantel test for each pair of studies. The two molecular data sets were significantly correlated (r = 0.636). The AFLP markers often distinguished among several lines with identical SSR genotypes. The AFLP data were also significantly correlated with the phenotypic data (r values from 0.4640 to 0.5658), but the SSR data were much more highly correlated (r values from 0.677 to 0.844). The difference between molecular marker systems was especially notable when an outlier population from Potosi Pass, Nevada, was excluded from the analysis. These results suggest that SSR markers may be good surrogates for phenotypic traits in population genetic studies of strongly inbreeding species such as cheatgrass.

Key Words: AFLP • Bromus tectorum • cheatgrass • genetic variation • microsatellite • molecular marker • phenotypic variation • SSR

This article has been cited by other articles:

				L. J. Schachner, R. N. Mack, and S. J. Novak Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) in midcontinental United States: Population genetic analysis of an ongoing invasion Am. J. Botany, December 1, 2008; 95(12): 1584 - 1595. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Valliant, R. N. Mack, and S. J. Novak Introduction history and population genetics of the invasive grass Bromus tectorum (Poaceae) in Canada Am. J. Botany, July 1, 2007; 94(7): 1156 - 1169. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]