Abstract
Genetic studies of Domesticated-Weed-Wild Complexes (DWWC) have
typically focused on one-way introgression of crop alleles into wild or
weedy populations, with little consideration of the entire natural
ecosystem. In Sri Lanka, DWWC is diverse, comprising six evolutionarily
discrete groups in the genus Oryza. Using 33 neutral simple sequence
repeat (SSR) loci, we characterized six Oryza groups to understand the
genetic background and evolution of DWWC components. Our analysis found
that Oryza groups have large population sizes and high inter-group
long-term gene flows. Asymmetric gene flows were found between wild and
weedy rice groups, but the rare alleles shared among DWWC components
provide additional evidence for extensive and enduring exchange,
highlighting the dynamic nature of this complex genetic admixture among
different Oryza lineages. We found high genetic diversity at the
population and species levels due to mixed DWWC components over the
generations. Weedy rice types exhibit genetic incorporation through
admixture from both crop and wild species, highlighting the multi-way
genetic transfer in the evolution of weedy rice types. Our findings
support the idea that the DWWC is an integrated complex in the Sri
Lankan rice ecosystem and that its weedy rice has multiple origins,
including de-domestication via feralization of cultivated rice,
inter-varietal hybridization among distinct cultivated rice types,
adaptation, and invasion of rice cultivation areas by wild Oryza
species, and hybridization events between crop and wild rice
populations. Abandoned rice domesticates can also evolve into weedy
forms with less intimate human relationships and contaminate the rice
ecosystem.