Genetic diversity and population structure of Amorphophallus albus, a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) endemic to dry-hot valley of Jinsha River

Abstract Background: Amorphophallus albus P. Y. Liu & J. F. Chen (Araceae) is a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) and an important economic crop endemic to dry-hot valleys along the Jinsha River. In order to gain information for sustaining the development and conservation of A. albus, we studied the genetic diversity and population structure of this species using microsatellite markers (SSR). In this study, we analysed 364 individuals belonging to 24 populations, including four wild populations and three ex-situ cultivated populations, collected in the provinces Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei. Results: The population genetic analyses indicated that A. albus possesses moderate genetic diversity with the percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) from 69.23% to 100%, an expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.504 and an average Shannon's Information Index (I) 0.912. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that most of the variance (71%) resided within populations and the estimated gene flow (Nm) was 0.61. The results of UPGMA cluster tree, STRUCTURE analyses together with the Mantel test (R2 = 0.352, P < 0.01) indicated that geographically closely located populations are clustered together with some exceptions. Conclusions: Our results showed that A. albus still possesses moderate genetic variation in most of the studied populations, and for now, most cultivated populations were naturally distributed but still some reintroduction exists. For sustaining the present genetic variation, some protections measures are necessary for the wild populations and also for the cultivated ones with high genetic diversity.

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Genetic diversity and population structure of Amorphophallus albus, a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) endemic to dry-hot valley of Jinsha River

10.21203/rs.2.17641/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Rong Tang ◽

Erxi Liu ◽

Yazhou Zhang ◽

Johann Schinnerl ◽

Weibang Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Plant Species ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Small Populations ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Jinsha River ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Cultivated Populations

Abstract Background Amorphophallus albus P. Y. Liu & J. F. Chen (Araceae) is a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) and important economic crop endemic to dry-hot valleys along the Jinsha River. In order to gain information for sustaining the development and conservation of A. albus , we studied the genetic diversity and population structure of this species using microsatellite markers (SSR). In this study, we analyzed 364 individuals belonging to 24 populations, including four wild populations and three ex-situ cultivated populations, collected in the provinces Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei.Results The population genetic analyses indicated that A. albus possesses moderate genetic diversity with the percentage of polymorphic loci ( PPL ) from 69.23% to 100%, an expected heterozygosity ( He ) of 0.504 and an average Shannon's Information Index ( I ) 0.912. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that most of the variance (71%) resided within populations and the estimated gene flow ( Nm ) was 0.61. The results of UPGMA cluster tree, STRUCTURE analyses together with the Mantel test (R 2 = 0.352, P < 0.01) indicated that geographically closely located populations are cluster together with some exceptions.Conclusions Our results showed that A. albus still possesses moderate genetic variation in most of the studied populations, and for now, most cultivated populations were naturally distributed but still some reintroduction exists. For sustaining the present genetic variation, some protections measures are necessary for the wild populations and also for the cultivated ones with high genetic diversity.

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Genetic diversity and population structure of Amorphophallus albus, a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) endemic to dry-hot valley of Jinsha River

BMC Genetics ◽

10.1186/s12863-020-00910-x ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rong Tang ◽

Erxi Liu ◽

Yazhou Zhang ◽

Johann Schinnerl ◽

Weibang Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Plant Species ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Small Populations ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Jinsha River ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Cultivated Populations

Abstract Background Amorphophallus albus P. Y. Liu & J. F. Chen (Araceae) is a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) and an important economic crop endemic to dry-hot valleys along the Jinsha River. In order to gain information for sustaining the development and conservation of A. albus, we studied the genetic diversity and population structure of this species using microsatellite markers (SSR). In this study, we analysed 364 individuals belonging to 24 populations, including four wild populations and three ex-situ cultivated populations, collected in the provinces Yunnan, Sichuan and Hubei. Results The population genetic analyses indicated that A. albus possesses moderate genetic diversity with the percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) from 69.23 to 100%, an expected heterozygosity (He) of 0.504 and an average Shannon’s Information Index (I) 0.912. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that most of the variance (71%) resided within populations and the estimated gene flow (Nm) was 0.61. The results of UPGMA cluster tree, STRUCTURE analyses together with the Mantel test (R2 = 0.352, P < 0.01) indicated that geographically closely located populations are clustered together with some exceptions. Conclusions Our results showed that A. albus still possesses moderate genetic variation in most of the studied populations, and for now, most cultivated populations were naturally distributed but still some reintroduction exists. For sustaining the present genetic variation, some protections measures are necessary for the wild populations and also for the cultivated ones with high genetic diversity.

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High Genetic Diversity and Low Differentiation in Michelia shiluensis, an Endangered Magnolia Species in South China

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11040469 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 469 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Yanwen Deng ◽

Tingting Liu ◽

Yuqing Xie ◽

Yaqing Wei ◽

Zicai Xie ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Human Disturbance ◽

Haplotype Diversity ◽

Conservation Strategy ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Cpdna Markers

Research Highlights: This study is the first to examine the genetic diversity of Michelia shiluensis (Magnoliaceae). High genetic diversity and low differentiation were detected in this species. Based on these results, we discuss feasible protection measures to provide a basis for the conservation and utilization of M. shiluensis. Background and Objectives: Michelia shiluensis is distributed in Hainan and Guangdong province, China. Due to human disturbance, the population has decreased sharply, and there is thus an urgent need to evaluate genetic variation within this species in order to identify an optimal conservation strategy. Materials and Methods: In this study, we used eight nuclear single sequence repeat (nSSR) markers and two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) markers to assess the genetic diversity, population structure, and dynamics of 78 samples collected from six populations. Results: The results showed that the average observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (He), and percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) from nSSR markers in each population of M. shiluensis were 0.686, 0.718, and 97.92%, respectively. For cpDNA markers, the overall haplotype diversity (Hd) was 0.674, and the nucleotide diversity was 0.220. Analysis of markers showed that the genetic variation between populations was much lower based on nSSR than on cpDNA (10.18% and 77.56%, respectively, based on an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA)). Analysis of the population structure based on the two markers shows that one of the populations (DL) is very different from the other five. Conclusions: High genetic diversity and low population differentiation of M. shiluensis might be the result of rich ancestral genetic variation. The current decline in population may therefore be due to human disturbance rather than to inbreeding or genetic drift. Management and conservation strategies should focus on maintaining the genetic diversity in situ, and on the cultivation of seedlings ex-situ for transplanting back to their original habitat.

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Conservation genetics of the threatened plant species Physaria filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) reveals strong genetic structure and a possible cryptic species

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0247586 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e0247586

Author(s):

Christine E. Edwards ◽

Brooke C. Tessier ◽

Joel F. Swift ◽

Burgund Bassüner ◽

Alexander G. Linan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Plant Species ◽

Genetic Drift ◽

Rare Species ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Ouachita Mountains ◽

Genetic Diversity And Structure ◽

Genetic Clusters

Understanding genetic diversity and structure in a rare species is critical for prioritizing both in situ and ex situ conservation efforts. One such rare species is Physaria filiformis (Brassicaceae), a threatened, winter annual plant species. The species has a naturally fragmented distribution, occupying three different soil types spread across four disjunct geographical locations in Missouri and Arkansas. The goals of this study were to understand: (1) whether factors associated with fragmentation and small population size (i.e., inbreeding, genetic drift or genetic bottlenecks) have reduced levels of genetic diversity, (2) how genetic variation is structured and which factors have influenced genetic structure, and (3) how much extant genetic variation of P. filiformis is currently publicly protected and the implications for the development of conservation strategies to protect its genetic diversity. Using 16 microsatellite markers, we genotyped individuals from 20 populations of P. filiformis from across its geographical range and one population of Physaria gracilis for comparison and analyzed genetic diversity and structure. Populations of P. filiformis showed comparable levels of genetic diversity to its congener, except a single population in northwest Arkansas showed evidence of a genetic bottleneck and two populations in the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas showed lower genetic variation, consistent with genetic drift. Populations showed isolation by distance, indicating that migration is geographically limited, and analyses of genetic structure grouped individuals into seven geographically structured genetic clusters, with geographic location/spatial separation showing a strong influence on genetic structure. At least one population is protected for all genetic clusters except one in north-central Arkansas, which should therefore be prioritized for protection. Populations in the Ouachita Mountains were genetically divergent from the rest of P. filiformis; future morphological analyses are needed to identify whether it merits recognition as a new, extremely rare species.

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Genetic variation and population structure of clonal Zingiber zerumbet at a fine geographic scale: a comparison with two closely related selfing and outcrossing Zingiber species

BMC Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1186/s12862-021-01853-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Rong Huang ◽

Yu Wang ◽

Kuan Li ◽

Ying-Qiang Wang

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Plant Species ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Clonal Plants ◽

Zingiber Zerumbet ◽

Population Genetic Diversity ◽

Local Populations ◽

High Level

Abstract Background There has always been controversy over whether clonal plants have lower genetic diversity than plants that reproduce sexually. These conflicts could be attributed to the fact that few studies have taken into account the mating system of sexually reproducing plants and their phylogenetic distance. Moreover, most clonal plants in these previous studies regularly produce sexual progeny. Here, we describe a study examining the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation within and between local populations of fully clonal Zingiber zerumbet at a microgeographical scale and compare the results with data for the closely related selfing Z. corallinum and outcrossing Z. nudicarpum. Such studies could disentangle the phylogenetic and sexually reproducing effect on genetic variation of clonal plants, and thus contribute to an improved understanding in the clonally reproducing effects on genetic diversity and population structure. Results The results revealed that the level of local population genetic diversity of clonal Z. zerumbet was comparable to that of outcrossing Z. nudicarpum and significantly higher than that of selfing Z. corallinum. However, the level of microgeographic genetic diversity of clonal Z. zerumbet is comparable to that of selfing Z. corallinum and even slightly higher than that of outcrossing Z. nudicarpum. The genetic differentiation among local populations of clonal Z. zerumbet was significantly lower than that of selfing Z. corallinum, but higher than that of outcrossing Z. nudicarpum. A stronger spatial genetic structure appeared within local populations of Z. zerumbet compared with selfing Z. corallinum and outcrossing Z. nudicarpum. Conclusions Our study shows that fully clonal plants are able not only to maintain a high level of within-population genetic diversity like outcrossing plants, but can also maintain a high level of microgeographic genetic diversity like selfing plant species, probably due to the accumulation of somatic mutations and absence of a capacity for sexual reproduction. We suggest that conservation strategies for the genetic diversity of clonal and selfing plant species should be focused on the protection of all habitat types, especially fragments within ecosystems, while maintenance of large populations is a key to enhance the genetic diversity of outcrossing species.

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Genetic diversity and population structure of Eurycoma apiculata in Eastern Sumatra, Indonesia

Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity ◽

10.13057/biodiv/d221036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (10) ◽

Author(s):

Zulfahmi Zulfahmi ◽

Parjanto Parjanto ◽

Edi Purwanto ◽

Ahmad Yunus

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Genetic Differentiation ◽

Gene Diversity ◽

In Situ Conservation ◽

Genetic Material ◽

Ex Situ ◽

Breeding Programs ◽

The Mean

Abstract. Zulfahmi, Parjanto, Purwanto E, Yunus A. 2021. Genetic diversity and population structure of Eurycoma apiculata in Eastern Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 22: 4431-4439. Information on genetic variation within and among populations of Eurycoma apiculata plants is important to develop strategies for their conservation, sustainable use, and genetic improvement. To date, no information on genetic variation within and among populations of the E. apiculata has been reported. This study aims to assess genetic diversity within and among populations of E. apiculata based on RAPD markers, and to determine populations to collect E. apiculata genetic material for conservation and breeding programs. Young leaves of E. apiculata were collected from six natural populations. Fifteen RAPD primers were used to assess the genetic diversity of each population. The data obtained were analyzed with POPGEN and Arlequin software. The amplification results of 15 selected primers produced 3-16 loci with all primers 100% polymorphic. At the species level, the mean allele per locus (Na), number of effective alleles (Ne), percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL), Nei’s gene diversity index (He) and Shannon information index (I) were 2.000, 1.244, 100%, 0.167, and 0.286, respectively. At the population level, the mean values for Na, Ne, PPL, He and I were 1.393, 1.312, 39.27%, 0.119, and 0.186, respectively. The highest value of gene diversity within population (He) was found in the Lingga-1 population and the lowest value was found in the Rumbio population. The value of genetic differentiation among populations (GST) of E. apiculata is 0.284, consistent with the results of the AMOVA analysis which found that genetic variation among populations was 23.14%, indicates that the genetic variation of E. apiculata was more stored within populations than among populations. The gene flow (Nm) value of E. apiculata was 1.259 migrants per generation among populations. The Nm value of this species was high category, and could inhibit genetic differentiation among populations. The clustering of E. apiculata population based on the UPGMA dendrogram and PCA was inconsistent with its geographic distribution, reflecting the possibility that genes migration occurred between islands in the past. The main finding of this study was the genetic variation of the E. apiculata mostly stored within the population. Therefore, the population with the highest genetic diversity is a priority for in-situ conservation, and collection of E. apiculata genetic material for ex-situ conservation and breeding programs should be carried out minimum from Lingga-1 and Pokomo populations.

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Genome-wide assessment of genetic diversity and population structure in Magnolia odoratissima based on SLAF-Seq

10.21203/rs.3.rs-747821/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tao Zhang ◽

Xue Li ◽

Shuilian He

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Gene Flow ◽

Natural Populations ◽

Environmental Parameters ◽

Candidate Snps ◽

Small Populations ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

High Genetic Diversity ◽

Genome Wide

Abstract Magnolia odoratissima is a highly threatened species with small populations and scattered distribution due to habitat fragmentation and human activity. The species is recognized as a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP) and is endemic to China. In the current study, the population structure and levels of genetic diversity of M. odoratissima in the five remaining natural populations and three cultivated populations were evaluated using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived from Specific-Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing (SLAF-seq). A total of 180,650 SNP loci were found in seventy M. odoratissima individuals. The genome-wide Nei’s and Shannon’s nucleotide diversity indexes of the total M. odoratissima population were 0.3035 and 0.4695, respectively. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) were 0.1122 and 0.3011. Our results suggest that M. odoratissima has relatively high genetic diversity at the genomic level. FST and AMOVA indicated that high genetic differentiation existed among populations. A phylogenetic neighbor-joining tree, Bayesian model–based clustering and principal components analysis (PCA) all divided the studied M. odoratissima individuals into three distinct clusters. The Treemix analysis showed that there was low gene flow among the natural populations and a certain gene flow from the wild populations to the cultivated population (LS to KIB, and GN to JD). In addition, a total of 36 unique SNPs were detected as being significantly associated with environmental parameters (altitude, temperature and precipitation). These candidate SNPs were found to be involved in multiple pathways including several molecular functions and biological process, suggesting they may play key roles in environmental adaptation. Our results suggested that three distinct evolutionary significant units (ESUs) should be set up to conserve this critically endangered species.

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Genetic analysis and population structure of wild and cultivated wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri Lind.) lines related to specific floral color

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.11702 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 ◽

pp. e11702

Author(s):

Shikai Guan ◽

Qian Song ◽

Jinye Zhou ◽

Haixia Yan ◽

Yuxiang Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Variation ◽

Genetic Variability ◽

Wild Population ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Torenia Fournieri ◽

Similar Reduction ◽

Floral Color ◽

Hybrid Lines

Background The wishbone flower or Torenia fournieri Lind., an annual from tropical Indochina and southern China, is a popular ornamental plant, and many interspecific (T. fournieri × T. concolor) hybrid lines have been bred for the international market. The cultivated lines show a pattern of genetic similarity that correlates with floral color which informs on future breeding strategies. This study aimed to perform genetic analysis and population structure of cultivated hybrid lines comparing with closely related T. concolor wild populations. Methods We applied the retrotransposon based iPBS marker system for genotyping of a total of 136 accessions from 17 lines/populations of Torenia. These included 15 cultivated lines of three series: Duchess (A, B, C); Kauai (D, E, F, G, H, I, J); Little Kiss (K, L, M, N, P) and two wild T. concolor populations (Q and R). PCR products from each individual were applied to estimate the genetic diversity and differentiation between lines/populations. Results Genotyping results showed a pattern of genetic variation differentiating the 17 lines/populations characterized by their specific floral colors. The final PCoA analysis, phylogenetic tree construction, and Bayesian population structural bar plot all showed a clear subdivision of lines/populations analysed. The 15 cultivated hybrid lines and the wild population Q that collected from a small area showed the lowest genetic variability while the other wild population R which sampled from a larger area had the highest genetic variability. Discussion The extremely low genetic variability of 15 cultivated lines indicated that individual line has similar reduction in diversity/heterozygosity from a bottleneck event, and each retained a similar (but different from each other) content of the wild genetic diversity. The genetic variance for the two wild T. concolor populations could be due to our varied sampling methods. The two wild populations (Q, R) and the cultivated hybrid lines (I, K, M, N, P) are genetically more closely related, but strong positive correlations presented in cultivated lines A, C, E, M, and N. These results could be used to guide future Torenia breeding. Conclusions The genetic variation and population structure found in our study showed that cultivated hybrid lines had similar reduction in diversity/heterozygosity from a bottleneck event and each line retained a similar (but different from each other) content of the wild genetic diversity, especially when strong phenotypic selection of floral color overlaps. Generally, environmental factors could induce transposon activation and generate genetic variability which enabled the acceleration of the evolutionary process of wild Torenia species. Our study revealed that wild Torenia populations sampled from broad geographic region represent stronger species strength with outstanding genetic diversity, but selective breeding targeting a specific floral color decreased such genetic variability.

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