Abstract

Gracilaria chilensis is the main cultivated seaweed in Chile. The low genetic diversity observed in the Chilean populations has been associated with the over-exploitation of natural beds and/or the founder effect that occurred during post-glacial colonization from New Zealand. How these processes have affected its evolutionary trajectory before farming and incipient domestication is poorly understood. In this study, we used 2232 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to assess how the species' evolutionary history in New Zealand (its region of origin), the founder effect linked to transoceanic dispersion and colonization of South America, and the recent over-exploitation of natural populations have influenced the genetic architecture of G. chilensis in Chile. The contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and structure observed between the two main islands in New Zealand attest to the important effects of Quaternary glacial cycles on G. chilensis. Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) analyses indicated that Chatham Island and South America were colonized independently near the end of the Last Glacial Maximum and emphasized the importance of coastal and oceanic currents during that period. Furthermore, ABC analyses inferred the existence of a recent and strong genetic bottleneck in Chile, matching the period of over-exploitation of the natural beds during the 1970s, followed by rapid demographic expansion linked to active clonal propagation used in farming. Recurrent genetic bottlenecks strongly eroded the genetic diversity of G. chilensis prior to its cultivation, raising important challenges for the management of genetic resources in this incipiently domesticated species.