Abstract
Garcinia kola (Heckel) is a versatile tree indigenous to West and Central Africa. All parts of the tree have value in traditional medicine. Natural populations of the species have declined over the years due to overexploitation. Assessment of genetic diversity and population structure of G. kola is important for its management and conservation. The present study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure of G. kola populations in Benin using ultra-high-throughput diversity array technology (DArT) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. From the 102 accessions sampled, two were excluded from the final dataset owing to poor genotyping coverage. A total of 43,736 SNPs were reported, of which 12,585 were used for analyses after screening with quality control parameters including Minor allele frequency (≥ 0.05), call rate (≥ 80%), reproducibility (≥ 95%), and polymorphic information content (≥ 1%). Analysis revealed low genetic diversity with expected heterozygosity per population ranging from 0.196 to 0.228. Pairwise F-statistics (FST) revealed low levels of genetic differentiation between populations while an Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the majority of variation (97.86%) was within populations. Population structure analysis through clustering and discriminant analysis on principal component revealed two admixed clusters, implying little genetic structure. However, the model-based maximum likelihood in Admixture indicated only one genetic cluster. The present study indicated low genetic diversity of G. kola, and interventions are needed to be tailored towards its conservation.
Highlights
Garcinia kola (Heckel) is endemic in coastal areas, lowland plains and humid lowland rainforest of West and Central Africa [1]
The present study investigates the current level of genetic diversity and population structure of G. kola populations in Benin using a diversity array technology (DArT) genotyping by sequencing (GBS) approach
In order to test for the subdivision of the Garcinia populations, an Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) and a pairwise genetic differentiation estimates (FST) were performed for the 12,585 retained single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers
Summary
Garcinia kola (Heckel) is endemic in coastal areas, lowland plains and humid lowland rainforest of West and Central Africa [1]. Garcinia kola is an indigenous tree with cultural and medicinal importance to local populations [2]. The species is only found in the Southern areas [1] where the highest destructive anthropogenic activities are recorded. It is potentially threatened by indiscriminate bark sampling used in the preparation of different infusions [2]. These anthropogenic activities may have led to the drastic decline in natural populations of the G. kola, and the species is classified as “extinct in the wild” in the Benin Red List of Threatened Species [2]. In spite of the socio-economic importance of G. kola and the current conservation status of the species in Benin, there is no report on molecular genetic diversity and population structure of G. kola in Benin
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