Molecular and morphological evidence for hybrid origin and matroclinal inheritance of an endangered wild rose, Rosa × pseudobanksiae (Rosaceae) from China

• DOI: 10.1007/s10592-019-01227-8
• Publication Date: 2019-10-09T14:27:21Z
• Authors: Cheng Zhang; Shi-Qi Li; Yu Zhang; Zhang-Ming Zhu; Jian-Quan Liu; Xin-Fen Gao
• Keywords: Lineage (genetic)

The distinction between hybrids and species of hybrid origin is significant for plant diversity conservation. Interspecific hybridization within the genus Rosa is a common phenomenon. Based on field observation, we hypothesized that one previously published species, Rosa pseudobanksiae (endangered category: CR) might be a hybrid. In this study, we utilized molecular approaches involving three nuclear markers and four plastid markers to examine the origin of R. pseudobanksiae. Our evidence shows that it is indeed a natural homoploid hybrid between R. banksiae var. normalis and R. multiflora var. cathayensis, and that gene flows bidirectionally. Our multivariate morphometric analyses provide strong evidence for a matrocliny in R. × pseudobanksiae individuals. R. × pseudobanksiae has diverse morphological variations among individuals andshares the overlapped distributions with its parental progenitors. This taxon has not developed into a stabilized and self-evolving lineage with the high sterility in seed sets.