Population genetics of Ageratina adenophora using inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers in China

Abstract

Understanding distribution and diversity of invasive weeds is essential for the development of efficient control measures against it. In the present study, inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to assess the biogeographic relationships among populations of the invasive Crofton weed (Ageratina adenophora (Spreng.)) during 2004–2006 in China. A total of 100 ISSR primers with di-, tri-, tetra- and penta-nucleotide repeats were screened, from which 20 polymorphic and informative primers were selected. Amplification of the 20 primers generated a total of 479 polymorphic bands among the 64 weed populations, and a high level of genetic diversity (H E = 0.1541 ± 0.0193) was detected in A. adenophora. Neighbor-joining (NJ) cluster analysis based on genetic distances among populations grouped the populations according to their geographical origin, i.e. (1) populations of southwestern Guizhou, (2) populations of Liangshan city in Sichuan, (3) populations of western Guizhou, (4) Guangxi populations plus Chongqing populations, (5) populations of southern Yunnan, and (6) populations of Yangtze River Valleys in Sichuan plus populations of western Yunnan. A significant positive correlation between geographical and genetic distance was detected by the Mantel test (r = 0.183, p = 0.0012). Based on the divergence relationships revealed by ISSR markers, it was assumed that A. adenophora mainly dispersed through wind and water in China.