Abstract
Thuja sutchuenensis Franch. is a critically endangered plant endemic to the North-East Chongqing, China. Genetic variation was studied to assess the distribution of genetic diversity within and among seven populations from the single remnant locations, using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. A total of 15 primers generated 310 well defined bands, with an average of 20.7 bands per primer. The seven populations revealed a relatively high level of genetic diversity in the species. The percentage of polymorphic bands, Nei’s gene diversity and Shannon’s information index at the population and species level were 76.1%, 0.155, 0.252 and 100%, 0.165, 0.295, respectively. A low level of genetic differentiation among populations (GST = 0.102), in line with the results of Analyses of Molecular Variance (AMOVA), and a high level of gene flow (Nm = 4.407) were observed. Both the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmatic Mean (UPGMA) cluster analysis and Principal Coordinates Analysis (PCoA) supported the grouping of all seven populations into two groups. In addition, Mantel test revealed no significant correlation between genetic and geographical distances (r = 0.329, p = 0.100). The low genetic differentiation among populations implies that the conservation efforts should aim to preserve all the extant populations of this endangered species.
Highlights
Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an evergreen coniferous species of genus Thuja in the cypress familyCupressaceae, is a critically endangered species endemic to mountain area in North-East ChongqingMunicipality, China [1]
The inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR) analysis conducted for the T. sutchuenensis populations located in North-East Chongqing, China, revealed the presence of an appreciable level of genetic diversity, which was more than that of its relatives Calocedrus macrolepis [20], Taiwania cryptomerioides [21], Cupressus gigantea [22] and
Genetic diversity within populations is influenced by historical factors, and present-day population sizes may not be a reliable indication of genetic diversity, though population sizes could make positive effects on within population genetic variation [27]
Summary
Thuja sutchuenensis Franch., an evergreen coniferous species of genus Thuja in the cypress family. For rare or endangered species, an accurate estimate of the genetic variation among or within its populations could be helpful to address its endangered status or mechanism [3,4,5,6], and provide fundamental information in designing conservation programs [7]. T. sutchuenensis populations, which restrictedly distributed in North-East Chongqing, China, with the following aims: (1) to evaluate the genetic diversity at the population and species levels in the. T. sutchuenensis; (2) to assess the distribution of the genetic variation within and among populations and to construct a dendrogram demonstrating the genetic relationships among them; and (3) to use the genetic information as a tool for assessing the current conservation management plan for this endangered species and for designing conservation strategies
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