Molecular techniques in the assessment of genetic relationships between populations of Consolida (Ranunculaceae)

Di Zhou,Shujun Jiang,Jing Ma,Wenshuai Li,Amir Abbas Minaeifar,Xiling Yang,Wenyan Fan

doi:10.36253/caryologia-1235

Abstract

Genetic diversity studies are essential to understand the conservation and management of plant resources in any environment. The genus Consolida (DC.) Gray (Ranuculaceae) belongs to tribe Delphinieae. It comprises approximately 52 species, including the members of the genus Aconitella Spach. No detailed Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) studies were conducted to study Consolida genetic diversity. Therefore, we collected and analyzed 19 species from 12 provinces of regions. Overall, one hundred and twenty-seven plant specimens were collected. We showed significant differences in quantitative morphological characters in plant species. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean and principal component analysis (PCA) divided Consolida species into two groups. All primers produced polymorphic amplicons though the extent of polymorphism varied with each primer. The primer OPA-06 was found to be most powerful and efficient as it generated a total of 24 bands of which 24 were polymorphic. The Mantel test showed correlation (r = 0.34, p=0.0002) between genetic and geographical distances. We reported high genetic diversity, which clearly shows the Consolida species can adapt to changing environments since high genetic diversity is linked to species adaptability. Present results highlighted the utility of RAPD markers and morphometry methods to investigate genetic diversity in Consolida species. Our aims were 1) to assess genetic diversity among Consolida species 2) is there a correlation between species genetic and geographical distance? 3) Genetic structure of populations and taxa.

Highlights

Genetic diversity is a vital feature that helps plant species survive in an ever-changing environment, and it sheds light on understanding the phylogenetic affinity among the species (Erbano et al 2015; Ellegren and Galtier 2016; Turchetto et al 2016 )
As we were interested in knowing the genetic structure and diversity, we investigated the genetic difference between populations through AMOVA (Analysis of molecular variance) in GenAlEx 6.4 (Peakall and Smouse 2006)
Consolida is an evolved genus with precise synapomorphies that are not found in any other species of Delphinium and Aconitum

Summary

Introduction

Genetic diversity is a vital feature that helps plant species survive in an ever-changing environment, and it sheds light on understanding the phylogenetic affinity among the species (Erbano et al 2015; Ellegren and Galtier 2016; Turchetto et al 2016 ). Quite a significant number of genetic resources and materials programs of plant species have been carried out to preserve the plant species worldwide. Scientific data indicate that genetic diversity plays a pivotal role in conservation programs (Gomez et al 2005; Frankham 2005; Cires et al 2013). The genus Consolida (DC.) Gray (Ranuculaceae) belongs to tribe Delphinieae. It comprises approximately 52 species, including the members of the genus Aconitella Spach. Iran is one of the richest countries for the genus in South-West Asia, since it has 24 species (Iranshahr et al, 1992)

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