Population genetics of the Four Corners potato (Solanum jamesii)

Premise: The domestication of wild plant species can begin with gathering and transport of propagules by Indigenous peoples. The effect on genomic composition, especially in clonal, self-incompatible perennials would be instantaneous and drastic with respect to new, anthropogenic populations subsequently established. Reductions in genetic diversity and mating capability would be symptomatic and the presence of unique alleles and genetic sequences would reveal the origins and ancestry of populations associated with archaeological sites. The current distribution of the Four Corners potato, Solanum jamesii Torr. in the Southwestern USA, may thus reflect the early stages of a domestication process that began with tuber transport.
Methods: Herein genetic sequencing (GBS) data are used to further examine the hypothesis of domestication in this culturally significant species by sampling 25 archaeological and non-archaeological populations.
Key Results: Archaeological populations from Utah, Col..., Selection of sample sites – The S. jamesii accession database contains a total of 169 extant occurrences from across the entire range of the species (Bamberg et al., 2003, with updates), of which 36 are associated with ancient sites (e.g. pueblos, granaries, habitation structures, kivas). These were divided into three latitudinal strata, each containing roughly a third of the total occurrences. From each stratum, a total of 12 primary and secondary candidate sites were randomly chosen. Candidate sites were surveyed in 2019, 2020, and 2021, and depending on monsoon rainfall, sampled for DNA analysis (in dry years a secondary site might be substituted for a primary site if plants were not present in the latter). In all we were able to obtain leaf samples and site metadata from 14 archaeological (A) and 11 non-archaeological (NA) populations (Fig. 1 and Data available from Dryad at https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cz8w9gj9w).
Field sampling – Leaf samples of +30 individuals (optimized by Bamb..., , # Population Genetics of the Four Corners Potato (Solanum jamesii)

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cz8w9gj9w](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.cz8w9gj9w)

Gene sequencing used to analyze 682 plants from 25 populations of the Four Corners Potato (Solanum jamesii).

## Description of the data and file structure

**Population Metadata** - Metadata for 25 populations of Solanum jamesii sampled for genetic analysis. A = archaeological population, NA = nonarchaeological population. Population size refers to estimates of the typical number of stems observed at sample time.

**Allelic Variation** - Relationship between polymorphism and unique alleles in 25 populations of Solanum jamesii. Red points are populations associated with archaeology, blue points are non-archaeological populations. Arrows indicate overlapping points. Dashed lines represent 95% confidence intervals around the generalized linear model (GLM). Correlation coefficient (r) and probability (P) of the GLM are indicated. See 'Popu...