Genetic diversity of Forsythia ovata Nakai (Oleaceae) based on inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR)

Abstract

We investigated the genetic diversity of an endemic rare species, Forsythia ovata Nakai by examining 93 ISSR amplicons in 84 individuals distributed among five populations. The overall percentage of polymorphic ISSR amplicons was 54.8% and mean number of amplicons per ISSR primer was 6.6. The amount of genetic diversity was relatively lower than other shrub species. The Mt. Seokbyeong and Mt. Seorak B populations had the highest level of genetic diversity. Although the Seokgae-jae population had the lowest level of genetic diversity, the population was genetically the most distinctive from the other populations. About 30.6% of the total variation was allocated between five populations, which was slightly higher than other shrub species. Such a pattern of genetic variation may have resulted from the limited distribution and small population sizes of F. ovata. The UPGMA dendrogram based on Nei's genetic distance showed some decisive geographic patterns. These results suggest that, in addition to the preservation of the natural stands, the conservation of larger number of populations with small number of individuals per population is more effective for the dynamic ex situ conservation and for maintaining the genetic diversity of F. ovata than smaller number of populations with large number of individuals.