Project name: Tephrosia angustissima

Description: The genus Tephrosia (Fabaceae), the hoary peas, contain high levels of rotenone, which has a long history of human use as a fish poison. We examine the distribution of Tephrosia angustissima, in South Florida to clarify patterns of genetic relatedness and shed light on human plant movement before European contact. Several populations of Tephrosia angustissima with a history of taxonomic uncertainty exist in South Florida and the neighboring Caribbean Islands. To clarify relationships in this group, and to elucidate the conservation status of populations in Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve, we used restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-SEQ) on 94 samples from South Florida and three locations in southwest Puerto Rico. Analysis of variation in SNP markers by the Bayesian STRUCTURE algorithm and principal coordinate analysis both separated the samples into three groups. These three groups were likely separate colonization events of Florida. Genetic diversity is moderate in all of the groups, with only limited evidence of a bottleneck in some of the disjunct South Florida populations. Overall, the human association of this group is consistent with a history of human use, suggesting conservation efforts for these taxa should consider their pre-Columbian human associations.

Data type: raw sequence reads

Sample scope: Multiisolate

Relevance: Evolution

Last updated: 2022-08-20