Abstract
Plantago algarbiensis samp is an endangered species endemic to the Algarve, in southern Portugal. In the present work, the genetic diversity of three populations was assessed by RAPD markers. Samples were amplified using ten primers that generated 145 markers, 80% of which were polymorphic. Tunes population presented the highest polymorphism percentage (73.68%) and Algoz the lowest (67.67%). In the cluster analysis, two major groups were formed, one including individuals from Gambelas and the other clustered together individuals from the other populations. The highest level of genetic diversity, estimated by both Nei’s gene diversity and Shannon’s information measure, was found in Tunes and the lowest in Algoz. From the estimates of Shannon’s index, the proportion of the diversity within populations was 86.12% and that among populations was 13.88%. Similar results were obtained by AMOVA analysis. A correlation was found between geographic distance and genetic differentiation among populations. The N m values obtained suggest a high level of gene flow among populations, which was inversely proportional to the distance between populations. RAPDs proved to be a useful tool to determine the genetic diversity of P. algarbiensis populations. The data obtained can be used to develop effective conservation strategies to prevent the decline of populations.
Highlights
Plantago is the largest genus within the Plantaginaceae family comprising approximately annual and perennial species distributed all over the world (Gonçalves and Romano2016)
Plantago species are widely considered as weeds they have been used as medicinal plants for centuries
The genetic diversity of three wild populations of P. algarbiensis was studied in the present work using Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers
Summary
Plantago is the largest genus within the Plantaginaceae family comprising approximately annual and perennial species distributed all over the world (Gonçalves and Romano2016). Plantago is the largest genus within the Plantaginaceae family comprising approximately annual and perennial species distributed all over the world Most species are widely distributed and grow as weeds, but some others are restricted to a specific area, such as Plantago algarbiensis Samp. Plantago species are widely considered as weeds they have been used as medicinal plants for centuries. Some Plantago species are listed as safe herbs in the pharmacopoeias of numerous countries (Blumenthal 1998) while others are used as food and animal feed. Plantago species have been used as medicinal herbs to treat various diseases related to the skin, digestive tract, reproductive system, blood circulation disorders and cancer (Chiang et al 2003). Some species are tolerant to heavy metals in the soil (Remon et al 2007; Malizia et al 2012)
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