Recombination Variation Shapes Phylogeny and Introgression in Wild Diploid Strawberries

Introgressive hybridization is widespread in wild plants and has important consequences. However, frequent hybridization between species makes the estimation of the species' phylogeny challenging, and little is known about the genomic landscape of introgression as it results from complex interactions of multiple evolutionary processes. Here, we reconstructed the phylogeny of ten wild diploid strawberries with whole genome resequencing data and then investigated the influence of recombination rate variation on phylogeny and introgression. We found that genomic regions with low recombination showed reduced levels of incomplete lineage sorting and introgression, and concentrated phylogenetic signals, thus contributing to the most likely species tree of wild diploid strawberries. We revealed complex and widespread introgression across the genus Fragaria, with an average proportion of approximately 4.1% of the extant genome. Introgression tends to be retained in the regions with high recombination rates and low gene density. Furthermore, we identified four SLF genes under selective sweeps that may play potential roles in the possible regain of self-incompatibility by ancient introgression. Altogether, our study yielded novel insights into the evolutionary history and genomic characteristics of introgression in wild diploid strawberries and provides evidence for the role of introgression in plant mating system transitions.