Abstract
Assessing the genetic diversity of endemic plants is of great importance in future conservation programmes. The genetic diversity in Garcinia imberti from Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve of southern Western Ghats was assessed through ISSR markers by molecular characterization with 15 primers. A total of 157 accessions from six populations were used for the study. They generated 102 amplified products, out of which 89 were polymorphic (87.25%). It produced an average of 6.8 bands per primer and 5.93% polymorphism per primer. The present study revealed that G. imberti has moderate level of genetic diversity at species level but differs at population level. The dendrogram constructed following UPGMA exhibited that all accessions were clustered together except Poonkulam population. The genetic diversity analysis of G. imberti showed that even though the populations are closely associated, every population have their own characteristic diversity and should be conserved. Among the populations, Chemunji is the largest one with more genetic diversity and may conserve as the potential source of gene pool of this species.
Highlights
The Western Ghats of India, one of the major biodiversity hotspots, harbours approximately 1275 exclusively endemic plant species of which more than 20% are tree species [1]
The genetic diversity in Garcinia imberti from Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve of southern Western Ghats was assessed through ISSR markers by molecular characterization with 15 primers
The present study revealed that G. imberti has moderate level of genetic diversity at species level but differs at population level
Summary
The Western Ghats of India, one of the major biodiversity hotspots, harbours approximately 1275 exclusively endemic plant species of which more than 20% are tree species [1]. Successful conservation strategies of such endemic plant species depend on their life history characteristics, ecological interaction with other organisms in their habitat and in part on the geographical distribution of genetic diversity [2, 3]. Knowledge on the percentage of genetic variation within and among the population of the concerned species, and the identification of populations with more genetic diversity and evolutionary potential, can provide essential information for the development of effective conservation practices. Recent approaches on conservation and restoration of plants may apply to preserve the genetic diversity of plant populations. This is more relevant to rare and endangered plant populations as they are usually with narrow distribution, small population sizes and geographic isolation
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