Abstract
Camellia reticulata is an arbor tree that has been cultivated in southwestern China by various sociolinguistic groups for esthetic purposes as well as to derive an edible seed oil. This study examined the influence of management, socio‐economic factors, and religion on the genetic diversity patterns of Camellia reticulata utilizing a combination of ethnobotanical and molecular genetic approaches. Semi‐structured interviews and key informant interviews were carried out with local communities in China's Yunnan Province. We collected plant material (n = 190 individuals) from five populations at study sites using single‐dose AFLP markers in order to access the genetic diversity within and between populations. A total of 387 DNA fragments were produced by four AFLP primer sets. All DNA fragments were found to be polymorphic (100%). A relatively high level of genetic diversity was revealed in C. reticulata samples at both the species (H sp = 0.3397, I sp = 0.5236) and population (percentage of polymorphic loci = 85.63%, H pop = 0.2937, I pop = 0.4421) levels. Findings further revealed a relatively high degree of genetic diversity within C. reticulata populations (Analysis of Molecular Variance = 96.31%). The higher genetic diversity within populations than among populations of C. reticulata from different geographies is likely due to the cultural and social influences associated with its long cultivation history for esthetic and culinary purposes by diverse sociolinguistic groups. This study highlights the influence of human management, socio‐economic factors, and other cultural variables on the genetic and morphological diversity of C. reticulata at a regional level. Findings emphasize the important role of traditional culture on the conservation and utilization of plant genetic diversity.
Highlights
Biodiversity is fundamental for life on earth by supporting the health of ecosystems (Mace et al, 2014)
It is expected that the genetic diversity of C. reticulata has been influenced by the cultural practices of various sociolinguistic groups who have managed, cultivated, and conserved this tree resource
This study highlights that Camellia reticulata resources have relatively high genetic diversity in Yunnan Province of southwestern China and that cultural factors may be a notable driving influence on fostering this diversity compared to geographic distance
Summary
Biodiversity is fundamental for life on earth by supporting the health of ecosystems (Mace et al, 2014). Customs, and beliefs have been reported to contribute to biodiversity protection including seed exchange systems (Labeyrie, Thomas, Muthamia, & Leclerc, 2016), marriage exchanges (Delêtre, McKey, & Hodkinson, 2011), religious rituals (Mazumdar & Mazumdar, 2012), and dietary traditions (Penafiel, Lachat, Espinel, Van Damme, & Kolsteren, 2011) These practices, customs, and beliefs have been linked to preserving crop landraces (Jackson, Pascual, & Hodgkin, 2007), old trees (Salick et al, 2007), and economic plants (Liu et al, 2014) including those with esthetic, food, and medicinal values (Begum et al, 2014). It is expected that the genetic diversity of C. reticulata has been influenced by the cultural practices of various sociolinguistic groups who have managed, cultivated, and conserved this tree resource
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