Hostname: page-component-669899f699-7xsfk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-04-24T11:08:22.860Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Genetic diversity and demography of Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2025

Maedeh Alaeifar ,
Masoud Sheidai Open the ORCID record for Masoud Sheidai [Opens in a new window]  and
Fahimeh Koohdar Open the ORCID record for Fahimeh Koohdar [Opens in a new window]
Maedeh Alaeifar
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Masoud Sheidai*
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Fahimeh Koohdar*
Affiliation:
Department of Plant Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
*
Corresponding authors: Masoud Sheidai; Email: [email protected]; Fahimeh Koohdar; Email: [email protected]
Corresponding authors: Masoud Sheidai; Email: [email protected]; Fahimeh Koohdar; Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Pteridium aquilinum, commonly known as bracken, is a fern species distributed in temperate and subtropical regions. In Iran, it primarily grows in isolated populations in the northern regions, and its genetic structure, gene flow and population genetics are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate gene flow and genetic diversity in 11 geographical populations of P. aquilinum in Iran for the first time. A total of 133 plants from different populations were examined, and both morphological and genetic diversity were assessed using start codon targeted (SCoT) molecular markers. Results showed genetic and morphological admixture within populations, likely due to the high mobility of dispersal units in this species. Significant genetic differences were found among populations, but a high degree of genetic variability was observed within individual populations. Additionally, there was a significant correlation between geographical and genetic distances, indicating gene flow between populations. The assignment test revealed genetic admixture among plants from different populations, and Gst analysis of SCoT loci yielded Nm = 0.95, confirming gene flow among the populations. Overall, this study demonstrates that the Iranian populations of P. aquilinum maintain substantial gene flow, which may contribute to the long-term survival and adaptability of this species in the region.

Keywords

brackengene flowgenetic polymorphismRDASCoT
Type
Research Article
Information
Plant Genetic Resources , First View , pp. 1 - 8
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of National Institute of Agricultural Botany

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Akomolafe, G and Rahmad, Z (2018) A review on global ferns invasions: mechanisms, management and control. Journal of Research in Forestry, Wildlife and Environment 10, 42–54.Google Scholar
Akpınar, I, Alday, JG, Cox, E, McAllister, H, Le Duc, MG, Pakeman, RJ and Marrs, RH (2023) How long do bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) control treatments maintain effectiveness? Ecological Engineering 186, 106842.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Amouzgar, L, Ghorbani, J, Shokri, M, Marrs, RH and Alday, JG (2020) Pteridium aquilinum performance is driven by climate, soil and land-use in Southwest Asia. Folia Geobotanica 55, 301–314.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Azadi, R (2016) Flora of Iran, Family of Ferns. Tehran, Iran: Research Institute of Forests and Pastures.Google Scholar
Collard, BC and Mackill, DJ (2009) Start codon targeted (SCoT) polymorphism: a simple novel DNA marker technique for generating gene-targeted markers in plants. Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 27, 86–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Donnelly, E, Robertson, J and Robinson, D (2002) Potential and historical uses for bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) in organic agriculture. In: Powell et al. (eds), UK Organic Research 2002: Proceedings of the COR Conference, 26–28th March 2002, Aberystwyth, pp. 255–256.Google Scholar
Fernández, H and Sierra, LM (2022) Pteridium aquilinum: a threat to biodiversity and human and animal health. In Marimuthu, J, Fernández, H, Kumar, A and Thangaiah, S (eds), Ferns: Biotechnology, Propagation, Medicinal Uses and Environmental Regulation. Springer Nature, pp. 697–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frichot, E, Schoville, SD, Bouchard, G and Francois, O (2013) Testing for associations between loci and environmental gradients using latent factor mixed models. Molecular Biology and Evolution 30, 1687–1699.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hill, MO and Gauch, HG (1980) Detrended correspondence analysis: an improved ordination technique. Vegetation 42, 47–58.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Keneni, G, Dechassa, N, Bediye, S, Shimbir, T, Kaske, K, Mengistu, S, Kifle, T, Desalegn, T and Alemayehu, N (2021) A Guide for Producing Seeds of Selected Crops and Biofertilizer. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: The ENARESS Project, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR).Google Scholar
Khoshravesh, R, Akhani, H, Eskandari, M and Greuter, W (2009) Ferns and fern allies of Iran. Rostaniha 10, 1–130.Google Scholar
Korpelainen, H (1995) Mating system and distribution of enzyme genetic variation in bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). Canadian Journal of Botany 73, 1611–1617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Legendre, P and Legendre, L (2012) Numerical Ecology (3rd ed.). Developments in Environmental Modeling, vol. 24. Amsterdam: Elsevier, pp. 625–710.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mantel, N (1967) The detection of disease clustering and a generalized regression approach. Cancer Research 27, 209–220.Google Scholar
Mira, YD, Ramírez, LA, Londoño, LF and Castañeda, DA (2021) Allelopathic effects of common bracken (Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn) on germination and growth of economically important weeds. Chilean Journal of Agricultural & Animal Sciences 37, 290–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
POWO (2024) Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Available at http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/ (retrieved 19 January 2024).Google Scholar
Schwartsburd, PB and Prado, J (2014) Subspecies of Hypolepis rugosula (Dennstaedtiaceae; Pteridophyta) around the world: morphological and biogeographic perspectives. Acta Botanica Brasilica 28, 206–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Segovia, NI, González-Wevar, CA and Haye, PA (2020) Signatures of local adaptation in the spatial genetic structure of the ascidian Pyura chilensis along the southeast Pacific coast. Scientific Reports 10, 14098.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Seshagirirao, K, Harikrishnanaik, L, Venumadhav, K, Nanibabu, B, Jamir, K, Ratnamma, BK, Jena, R and Babarao, DK (2016) Preparation of herbarium specimen for plant identification and voucher number. Roxburghia 6, 111–119.Google Scholar
Sheidai, M, Shagholi, T, Keshavarzi, M, Koohdar, F and Ijbari, H (2019) Species delimitation and inter-specific gene flow in Tamarix L. (Tamaricaceae). Hacquetia 18, 313–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sokal, RR and Rohlf, FJ (1995) Biometry, 3rd edn. New York: Freeman.Google Scholar
Tryon, RM (1941) A revision of the genus Pteridium. Rhodora 43, 1–31, 37–67.Google Scholar
Wolf, PG, Haufler, CH and Sheffield, E (1987) Electrophoretic evidence for genetic diploidy in the bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum). Science (New York, N.Y.) 236, 947–949.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolf, PG, Elizabeth Sheffield, FLS and Haufler Ch, H (1991) Estimates of gene flow, genetic substructure and population heterogeneity in bracken (Pteridium aquilinum). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 42, 407–423.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wolf, PG, Rowe, CA, Kinosian, SP, Der, JP, Lockhart, PJ, Shepherd, LD, McLenachan, PA and Thomson, JA (2019) Worldwide relationships in the fern genus Pteridium (bracken) based on nuclear genome markers. American Journal of Botany 106, 1365–1376.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhou, S, Dong, W, Chen, X, Zhang, X, Wen, J and Schneider, H (2014) How many species of bracken (Pteridium) are there? Assessing the Chinese brackens using molecular evidence. Taxon 63, 509–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Alaeifar et al. supplementary material

Alaeifar et al. supplementary material
Download Alaeifar et al. supplementary material(File)
File 14.2 KB