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Towards Stewardship of Wild Species and Their Domesticated Counterparts: A Case Study in Northern Wild Rice (Zizania palustris L.)
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  • Lillian McGilp,
  • Matthew Haas,
  • Mingqin Shao,
  • Reneth Millas,
  • Claudia Castell-Miller,
  • Anthony Kern,
  • Laura Shannon,
  • Jennifer Kimball
Lillian McGilp
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Matthew Haas
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Mingqin Shao
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Reneth Millas
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Claudia Castell-Miller
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Anthony Kern
University of Minnesota Crookston
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Laura Shannon
University of Minnesota College of Food Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
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Jennifer Kimball
University of Minnesota Twin Cities

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Abstract

Northern Wild Rice (NWR; Zizania palustris L.) is an aquatic, annual grass with significant ecological, cultural, and economic importance to the Great Lakes region of North America. In this study, we assembled and genotyped a diverse collection of 839 NWR individuals using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) and obtained 5,955 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Our collection consisted of samples from 12 wild NWR populations collected across Minnesota and Western Wisconsin, some of which were collected over two time points; a representative collection of cultivated NWR varieties and breeding populations; and a Zizania aquatica outgroup. Using these data, we characterized the genetic diversity, relatedness, and population structure of this broad collection of NWR genotypes. We found that wild populations of NWR clustered primarily by their geographical location, with some clustering patterns likely influenced by historical ecosystem management. Cultivated populations were genetically distinct from wild populations, suggesting limited gene flow between the semi-domesticated crop and its wild counterparts. The first genome-wide scans of putative selection events in cultivated NWR suggest that the crop is undergoing heavy selection pressure for traits conducive to irrigated paddy conditions. Overall, this study presents a large set of SNP markers for use in NWR genetic studies and provides new insights into the gene flow, history, and complexity of wild and cultivated populations of NWR.
19 Sep 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
20 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
20 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
24 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
08 Nov 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
18 Nov 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor