Echoes of ancient introgression punctuate stable genomic lineages in the evolution of figs.

Studies investigating the evolution of flowering plants have long focused on isolating mechanisms such as pollinator specificity. Some recent studies have proposed a role for introgressive hybridization between species, recognizing that isolating processes such as pollinator specialization may not be complete barriers to hybridization. Occasional hybridization may therefore lead to distinct yet reproductively connected lineages. We investigate the balance between introgression and reproductive isolation in a diverse clade using a densely sampled phylogenomic study of fig trees (Ficus, Moraceae). Codiversification with specialized pollinating wasps (Agaonidae) is recognized as a major engine of fig diversity, leading to about 850 species. Nevertheless, some studies have focused on the importance of hybridization in Ficus, highlighting the consequences of pollinator sharing. Here, we employ dense taxon sampling (520 species) throughout Moraceae and 1,751 loci to investigate phylogenetic relationships and the prevalence of introgression among species throughout the history of Ficus. We present a well-resolved phylogenomic backbone for Ficus, providing a solid foundation for an updated classification. Our results paint a picture of phylogenetically stable evolution within lineages punctuated by occasional local introgression events likely mediated by local pollinator sharing, illustrated by clear cases of cytoplasmic introgression that have been nearly drowned out of the nuclear genome through subsequent lineage fidelity. The phylogenetic history of figs thus highlights that while hybridization is an important process in plant evolution, the mere ability of species to hybridize locally does not necessarily translate into ongoing introgression between distant lineages, particularly in the presence of obligate plant-pollinator relationships.

A Laminarin-Based Formulation Protects Wheat Against Zymoseptoria tritici via Direct Antifungal Activity and Elicitation of Host Defense-Related Genes.

The present study aimed to evaluate the potential of the laminarin-based formulation Vacciplant to protect and induce resistance in wheat against Zymoseptoria tritici, a major pathogen on this crop. Under greenhouse conditions, a single foliar spraying of the product 2 days before inoculation with Z. tritici reduced disease severity and pycnidium density by 42 and 45%, respectively. Vacciplant exhibited a direct antifungal activity on Z. tritici conidial germination both in vitro and in planta. Moreover, it reduced in planta substomatal colonization as well as pycnidium formation on treated leaves. Molecular investigations revealed that Vacciplant elicits but did not prime the expression of several wheat genes related to defense pathways, including phenylpropanoids (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase), octadecanoids (lipoxygenase and allene oxide synthase), and pathogenesis-related proteins (ß-1,3-endoglucanase and chitinase). By contrast, it did not modulate the expression of oxalate oxidase gene involved in the reactive oxygen species metabolism. Ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis indicated limited changes in leaf metabolome after product application in both noninoculated and inoculated conditions, suggesting a low metabolic cost associated with induction of plant resistance. This study provides evidence that the laminarin-based formulation confers protection to wheat against Z. tritici through direct antifungal activity and elicitation of plant defense-associated genes.

Genetic Structure of Zymoseptoria tritici in Northern France at Region, Field, Plant, and Leaf Layer Scales.

Population genetic structure of the worldwide-distributed wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici has been extensively studied at large geographical scales, but to a much less extent at small or local spatial scales. A total of 627 single-conidial fungal isolates were sampled from several locations in northern France (Hauts-de-France Region) to assess fungal genetic structure at region, field, plant, and leaf layer scales, using highly polymorphic microsatellite markers and mating type idiomorphs. Important and overall similar levels of both gene and genotype diversities (gene diversity values of ≥0.44 and haplotype frequencies of ≥94%) were found at all the examined scales. Such rates of diversity are likely due to an active sexual recombination in the investigated areas, as revealed by equal proportions of the two mating types scored in all sampled populations. Interestingly, a rare occurrence of clones among lesions from a same leaf, as well as among leaves from different plant leaf layers (e.g., upper versus lower leaves), was highlighted, indicating that ascospores contribute much more than expected to Z. tritici epidemics, compared with pycnidiospores. Population structure and analyses of molecular variance revealed significant genetic differentiation at the regional scale (GST = 0.23) and, as expected, not at the other more local scales (GST ≤ 0.01). Further analyses using Bayesian and unweighted neighbor-joining statistical methods detected six genetic clusters within the regional population, overall distributed according to the locations from which the isolates were sampled. Neither clear directional relative migration linked to the geographical distribution of the locations, nor isolation by distance, were observed. Separate evolutionary trajectories caused by selection and adaptations to habitat heterogeneity could be the main forces shaping such structuration. This study provides new insights into the epidemiology and the genetic structure of Z. tritici at small local and, for the first time, at single plant and leaf layer scales. Such findings would be helpful in implementing effective control strategies.

The Algal Polysaccharide Ulvan Induces Resistance in Wheat Against Zymoseptoria tritici Without Major Alteration of Leaf Metabolome.

This study aimed to examine the ability of ulvan, a water-soluble polysaccharide from the green seaweed Ulva fasciata, to provide protection and induce resistance in wheat against the hemibiotrophic fungus Zymoseptoria tritici. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) analysis indicated that ulvan is mainly composed of unsaturated monosaccharides (rhamnose, rhamnose-3-sulfate, and xylose) and numerous uronic acid residues. In the greenhouse, foliar application of ulvan at 10 mg.ml-1 2 days before fungal inoculation reduced disease severity and pycnidium density by 45 and 50%, respectively. Ulvan did not exhibit any direct antifungal activity toward Z. tritici, neither in vitro nor in planta. However, ulvan treatment significantly reduced substomatal colonization and pycnidium formation within the mesophyll of treated leaves. Molecular assays revealed that ulvan spraying elicits, but does not prime, the expression of genes involved in several wheat defense pathways, including pathogenesis-related proteins (ß-1,3-endoglucanase and chitinase), reactive oxygen species metabolism (oxalate oxidase), and the octadecanoid pathway (lipoxygenase and allene oxide synthase), while no upregulation was recorded for gene markers of the phenylpropanoid pathway (phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and chalcone synthase). Interestingly, the quantification of 83 metabolites from major chemical families using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS) in both non-infectious and infectious conditions showed no substantial changes in wheat metabolome upon ulvan treatment, suggesting a low metabolic cost associated with ulvan-induced resistance. Our findings provide evidence that ulvan confers protection and triggers defense mechanisms in wheat against Z. tritici without major modification of the plant physiology.