Genome-wide analysis of Fusarium graminearum field populations reveals hotspots of recombination.

Background: Fusarium graminearum (Fg) is a ubiquitous pathogen of wheat, barley and maize causing Fusarium head blight. Large annual yield losses and contamination of foodstuffs with harmful mycotoxins make Fg one of the most-studied plant pathogens. Analyses of natural field populations can lead to a better understanding of the evolutionary processes affecting this pathogen. Restriction site associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) was used to conduct population genomics analyses including 213 pathogen isolates from 13 German field populations of Fg.

Results: High genetic diversity was found within Fg field populations and low differentiation (FST = 0.003) was found among populations. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) decayed rapidly over a distance of 1000 bp. The low multilocus LD indicates that significant sexual recombination occurs in all populations. Several recombination hotspots were detected on each chromosome, but different chromosomes showed different levels of recombination. There was some evidence for selection hotspots.

Conclusions: The population genomic structure of Fg is consistent with a high degree of sexual recombination that is not equally distributed across the chromosomes. The high gene flow found among these field populations should enable this pathogen to adapt rapidly to changes in its environment, including deployment of resistant cultivars, applications of fungicides and a warming climate.