Abstract
Carpinus oblongifolia is an endemic species and the extant wild populations show a fragmentation distribution in the Baohua Mountain of Jiangsu Province in eastern China. Understanding of genetic diversity plays an important role in C. oblongifolia survival and sustainable development. The wild C. oblongifolia population was artificially divided into four subpopulations according to the microhabitats, and another two subpopulations were constructed by progeny seedlings cultivated with the mature seeds. Then, the leaf buds of 80 individuals from six subpopulations were sampled to develop single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq). Based on these SNPs, we aimed to characterize the genetic diversity and population structure of C. oblongifolia and provide an illumination and reference for effective management of such a small endemic population. The level of genetic diversity was low at the species level, and the progeny subpopulations had a relatively higher genetic diversity than the wild subpopulations. This may be attributed to a high gene flow and an excess heterozygosity to reduce the threat of genetic drift-based hazards. Moreover, the progeny subpopulations had the ability to form new clusters and a great contribution to the genetic structure variation of C. oblongifolia. These results will assist with the development of conservation and management strategies, such as properly evacuating competitive trees to provide more chance for pollen and seed flow in situ conservation, and establishing sufficient seedling plantlets under laboratory conditions for reintroduction to enlarge the effective population size.
Highlights
Carpinus species are very abundant worldwide and approximately 40 species have been reported, of which the majority are from Asia, especially China [1]
Cheng (Betulaceae) is an endemic species, which is only distributed in the Baohua Mountain of Jiangsu Province in eastern China
In the wild subpopulations T1–T4, the number of SLAFs for each individual ranged from 131,315 to 323,600, and the SLAF sequencing depth ranged from 18.1-to 68.8-fold
Summary
Carpinus species are very abundant worldwide and approximately 40 species have been reported, of which the majority are from Asia, especially China [1]. Carpinus oblongifolia is a monoecious deciduous tree (up to 12-m tall), blooms from end March to early April with wind-pollinated flowers and ripens in mid-October with wing-like seeds. Despite the scarcity, this species is not yet among the rare or endangered plants in China for the time being, and its genetic background (essential to create management strategies) has never been studied. The incomplete diameter class structure, especially with insufficient number of seedlings and saplings at the young stage, and the non-dominant importance values in the wood layer indicated that the population structure of C.oblongifolia is unstable [3] This will affect its long-term survival and evolution in changing environments. The regeneration ability of the progeny will directly affect the population maintenance and development
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
