American origin of Cupriavidus bacteria associated with invasive Mimosa legumes in the Philippines

To identify the origins of Cupriavidus nodule symbionts associated with two invasive Mimosa species in the Philippines, 22 isolates were sequenced for portions of three chromosomal genes and two symbiotic plasmid loci. Eleven isolates were identical at all gene loci (2713 bp) to a lineage found in Central America. Four other Philippine isolates were identical to a second Cupriavidus lineage distributed both in Central America and in the Caribbean. None of the remaining Philippine strains had more than 0.6% sequence divergence from American Cupriavidus lineages. These results imply that the Philippine population was founded by multiple introductions from the native range of their Mimosa hosts.