Abstract
Population genetic information can provide valuable insight for the conservation and management of threatened and endangered plant species. Tamarix taklamakanensis is an endangered shrub endemic to arid basins of northwestern China. This species serves to stabilize soils in this region, but has seen substantial loss in its abundance due to depletion of ground water. The populations of this species have become small and fragmented, warranting conservation. Seven microsatellite loci were used to assess the genetic diversity and structure of 15 populations in the Tarim Basin, China. Among populations, the expected heterozygosity and total gene diversity were both moderate (HE = 0.392, hT = 0.432), however the allelic diversity was low (A = 2.4). Eleven populations were detected to have experienced recent bottlenecks using Wilcoxon's test and a model-shift test. Most populations of T. taklamakanensis in the centre of Tarim Basin showed low levels of genetic differentiation, but higher levels in geographically outlying populations. Genetic structure based on Bayesian assignment, the neighbour-joining network and principal coordinates analyses produced similar results, supporting five groups in the Tarim Basin. Gene flow was high among Bayesian groups based on historical gene flow estimated by private alleles. The genetic structure of T. taklamakanensis supports a pattern where gene flow principally occurs along river corridors through hydrochory of seeds and insect-mediated pollination. Populations upstream have contributed to a more diverse mixture of populations near the confluence of several rivers near the centre of Tarim Basin. This pattern of genetic structure could be influenced by the flow of water from different river systems. Conservation efforts should focus on fostering the regeneration of this species, maintaining genetic diversity and preserving the extant genetic structure. Conservation efforts are contingent upon maintaining ground water and streamflows in this arid basin.
Highlights
Fragmentation has been recognized as one of the factors increasing the vulnerability of many plant species (Lande 1998; Davies et al 2001; Young and Clarke 2000)
These results demonstrated high levels of gene flow among populations of T. taklamakanensis in the centre of the basin, and suggest populations are more structured around the periphery of Tarim Basin, consistent with results of the migration-drift equilibrium analysis
Genetic diversity T. taklamakanensis has maintained a moderate level of genetic diversity, despite the decline in abundance and increasing fragmentation seen in this species over the past few decades (Liu et al 1996; Yang et al 2013)
Summary
Fragmentation has been recognized as one of the factors increasing the vulnerability of many plant species (Lande 1998; Davies et al 2001; Young and Clarke 2000) It reduces population sizes, increases spatial isolation among populations, changes the abundance and behavior of pollinators, and alters seed dispersal (Morris 1993; Kremen and Ricketts 2000; England et al 2002; Frankham et al 2002). Information on genetic diversity and structure is indispensable before conservation and restoration management decisions are undertaken (Segarra-Moragues et al 2005; Friar et al 2001). We utilize seven polymorphic microsatellite loci to addressed the following questions: (i) What is the level of genetic diversity among populations of T. taklamakanensis? (ii) Is there significant genetic differentiation among populations? (iii) What evolutionary factors influence genetic diversity and genetic structure? These data will be helpful to infer the dominant evolutionary forces responsible for the observed genetic patterns, and will be of importance to devise ongoing conservation and management strategies for T. taklamakanensis
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