Molecular systematics and phylogeography of the Gibberella fujikuroi species complex

Abstract

Phylogenetic relationships of the phyto-pathogenic Gibberella fujikuroi species complex were investigated by maximum parsimony analysis of DNA sequences from multiple loci. Gene trees inferred from the β-tubulin gene exons and introns, mitochondrial small subunit (mtSSU) rDNA, and 5′ portion of the nuclear 28S rDNA were largely concordant, and in a combined analysis, provide strong statistical support for a phylogeny consistent with species radiations in South America, Africa, and Asia. These analyses place the American clade as a mono-phyletic sister-group of an African-Asian clade. Africa is the most phylogenetically diverse area examined with 16 species, followed by America (12 species) and Asia (8 species). The biogeographic hypothesis proposed from the phylogenetic evidence is based primarily on the formation of natural barriers associated with the fragmentation of the ancient super-continent Gondwana. Discordance of the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) based tree with gene trees from the other loci sequenced is due to nonorthologous ITS2 sequences. The molecular evidence suggests the divergent ITS2 types were combined by an ancient interspecific hybridization (xenologous origin) or gene duplication (paralogous origin) that predates the evolutionary radiation of the G. fujikuroi complex. Two highly divergent nonorthologous ITS2 types designated type I and type II were identified and characterized with conserved ITS and ITS2 type-specific polymerase cha…