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Dryad

Data from: High levels of diversity and population structure in the potato late blight pathogen at the Mexico center of origin

Cite this dataset

Wang, Jianan et al. (2017). Data from: High levels of diversity and population structure in the potato late blight pathogen at the Mexico center of origin [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.262qq

Abstract

Globally destructive crop pathogens often emerge by migrating out of their native ranges. These pathogens are often diverse at their center of origin, and may exhibit adaptive variation in the invaded range via multiple introductions from different source populations. However, source populations are generally unidentified or poorly studied compared to invasive populations. Phytophthora infestans, the causal agent of late blight, is one of the most costly pathogens of potato and tomato worldwide. Mexico is the center of origin and diversity of P. infestans and migration events out of Mexico have enormously impacted disease dynamics in North America and Europe. The debate over the origin of the pathogen, and population studies of P. infestans in Mexico, have focused on the Toluca Valley, whereas neighboring regions have been little studied. We examined the population structure of P. infestans across central Mexico, including samples from Michoacán, Tlaxcala, and Toluca. We found high levels of diversity consistent with sexual reproduction in Michoacán and Tlaxcala, and population subdivision that was strongly associated with geographical region. We determined that population structure in Central Mexico has contributed to diversity in introduced populations based on relatedness of U.S. clonal lineages to Mexican isolates from different regions. Our results suggest that P. infestans exists as a metapopulation in Central Mexico, and this population structure could be contributing to the repeated re-emergence of P. infestans in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Usage notes

Location

United States
Mexico