Abstract
Knowledge of the genetic diversity and structure of tree species across their geographic ranges is essential for sustainable use and management of forest ecosystems. Acer grosseri Pax., an economically and ecologically important maple species, is mainly distributed in North China. In this study, the genetic diversity and population differentiation of 24 natural populations of this species were evaluated using sequence-related amplified polymorphism markers and morphological characters. The results show that highly significant differences occurred in 32 morphological traits. The coefficient of variation of 34 characters was 18.19 %. Principal component analysis indicated that 18 of 34 traits explained 60.20 % of the total variance. The phenotypic differentiation coefficient (VST) was 36.06 % for all morphological traits. The Shannon-Wiener index of 34 morphological characters was 6.09, while at the population level, it was 1.77. The percentage of polymorphic bands of all studied A. grosseri populations was 82.14 %. Nei's gene diversity (He) and Shannon's information index (I) were 0.35 and 0.50, respectively. Less genetic differentiation was detected among the natural populations (GST = 0.20, ΦST = 0.10). Twenty-four populations of A. grosseri formed two main clusters, which is consistent with morphological cluster analysis. Principal coordinates analysis and STRUCTURE analysis supported the UPGMA-cluster dendrogram. There was no significant correlation between genetic and geographical distances among populations. Both molecular and morphological data suggested that A. grosseri is rich in genetic diversity. The high level of genetic variation within populations could be affected by the biological characters, mating system and lifespan of A. grosseri, whereas the lower genetic diversity among populations could be caused by effective gene exchange, selective pressure from environmental heterogeneity and the species' geographical range.
Highlights
IntroductionAdaptation and evolution of a species (Ma et al 2008) can reflect the species’ evolutionary history (e.g. shifts in distribution, habitat fragmentation and population isolation) and the interactions of various processes (such as mutation, genetic drift, mating system, gene flow and natural selection) (Slatkin 1987; Reed and Frankham 2003)
Genetic diversity, adaptation and evolution of a species (Ma et al 2008) can reflect the species’ evolutionary history and the interactions of various processes (Slatkin 1987; Reed and Frankham 2003)
Significant differences occurred at P, 0.01 in 32 morphological traits, but not fruit width (FW) or fruit length/width (FLW) (Table 1)
Summary
Adaptation and evolution of a species (Ma et al 2008) can reflect the species’ evolutionary history (e.g. shifts in distribution, habitat fragmentation and population isolation) and the interactions of various processes (such as mutation, genetic drift, mating system, gene flow and natural selection) (Slatkin 1987; Reed and Frankham 2003). Estimates of genetic diversity and genetic variation can be indirectly carried out based on morphological information (Shehzad et al 2009; Barro-Kondombo et al 2010; Jugran et al 2013); such estimates do not reliably reflect the real genetic variation because most morphological characters are greatly influenced by environmental factors, the developmental stage of the plant and largely unknown genetic control of polygenic inheritance morphological traits (Shehzad et al 2009; Last et al 2014). Evaluation of the genetic diversity and structure of plant populations is performed using both morphological characters and molecular markers (Feng et al 2006; Barro-Kondombo et al 2010; Hajmansoor et al 2013; Wang et al 2013)
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