Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in Pericopsis elata (Fabaceae) using a cost-efficient approach

in American Journal of Botany (2011)

Premise of the study : Microsatellite loci were developed in the endangered Pericopsis elata using a combination of low-cost procedures. Methods and Results : Microsatellite isolation was performed ... [more ▼]

Premise of the study : Microsatellite loci were developed in the endangered Pericopsis elata using a combination of low-cost procedures. Methods and Results : Microsatellite isolation was performed simultaneously on three distinct species through a newly available procedure that associates multiplex microsatellite enrichment and next-generation sequencing, allowing the rapid and low-cost development of microsatellite-enriched libraries through the use of a 1/32nd GS-FLX plate. Genotyping using M13-like label- ing in multiplexed reactions allowed additional cost savings. From 72 primers selected for initial screening, 21 positively amplified P. elata , and 11 showed polymorphism with two to 11 alleles per locus and a mean value of 5.4 alleles per locus. Conclusions : These microsatellite loci will be useful to further investigate the level of genetic variation within and between natural populations of P. elata in Africa. [less ▲]

CpDNA-based species identification and phylogeography: application to African tropical tree species

in Molecular Ecology (2010), 19(24), 5469-5483

Despite the importance of the African tropical rainforests as a hotspot of biodiversity, their history and the processes that have structured their biodiversity are understood poorly. With respect to past ... [more ▼]

Despite the importance of the African tropical rainforests as a hotspot of biodiversity, their history and the processes that have structured their biodiversity are understood poorly. With respect to past demographic processes, new insights can be gained through characterizing the distribution of genetic diversity. However, few studies of this type have been conducted in Central Africa, where the identification of species in the field can be difficult. We examine here the distribution of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) diversity in Lower Guinea in two tree species that are difficult to distinguish, Erythrophleum ivorense and Erythrophleum suaveolens (Fabaceae). By using a blind-sampling approach and comparing molecular and morphological markers, we first identified retrospectively all sampled individuals and determined the limits of the distribution of each species. We then performed a phylogeographic study using the same genetic data set. The two species displayed essentially parapatric distributions that were correlated well with the rainfall gradient, which indicated different ecological requirements. In addition, a phylogeographic structure was found for E. suaveolens and, for both species, substantially higher levels of diversity and allelic endemism were observed in the south (Gabon) than in the north (Cameroon) of the Lower Guinea region. This finding indicated different histories of population demographics for the two species, which might reflect different responses to Quaternary climate changes. We suggest that a recent period of forest perturbation, which might have been caused by humans, favoured the spread of these two species and that their poor recruitment at present results from natural succession in their forest formations. [less ▲]

The barriers to oceanic island radiation in bryophytes: insights from the phylogeography of the moss Grimmia montana

in Journal of Biogeography (2008), 35

Analyse intégrée des facteurs écologiques et des processus de dispersion responsables de la diversité en espèces d’arbres et de la diversité génétique de ces espèces en forêt tropicale.

Poster (2007)

Importance of inbterspecific variation for designing conservation strategies in Plants : Centaurea jacea as case study

Poster (2001, December 02)