Abstract
Wild plants form the basis of biological resources both for Georgia and the whole world. A strategic task of any country is to preserve the biological diversity of plants. In the territory of Ajara, a large species diversity of plants grows, among which there are rare, endemic and relict plants. In particular, Cyclamen adzharicum.
 Modern systematics of wild plants in Georgia is based on classical methods of botany. In this regard, it is relevant to conduct genetic studies of species diversity and genetic polymorphism of species and populations using molecular genetic markers, in particular RAPD-PCR methods. The purpose of this study was to identify genetic polymorphism in Cyclamen L species using RAPD methods. As a result of the conducted research the 65 RAPD-markers in length from 150 to 1500 BP have been revealed. The number of the amplified fragments DNA varied depending on the primer from 6 (OPA-2) to 11 (OPB-4). The results of grouping Cyclamen adzharicum and C. coum samples allowed two clusters to be identified. In the first cluster were samples of three populations Cyclamen adzharicum and showed a low stubble in the intra-species variability. Cyclamen coum was attributed to the second cluster. The used primers gave the opportunity to identify polymorphism between the tested types of cyclamen.
Highlights
Wild plant species are biological resources which are spread throughout Georgia and the whole world
Cyclamen adzharicum Pobed are considered as a highly local endemics in Adjara (Memiadze, 2004; Varshanidze, 2013; 2015) and it is Red list category plant in regard to the IUCN guidelines (IUCN 2006). This species is found in the literature with a different taxonomic status - Cyclamen coum ssp. caucasicum (Zernov, 2013)
This is the first attempt to use molecular markers to study the genetic link of Cyclamen species in Georgia
Summary
Wild plant species are biological resources which are spread throughout Georgia and the whole world. Many countries allocate large financial resources towards preserving wild flora, but this cannot be said about Georgia. Adjara is located in the south western part of Georgia. The flora of Ajara is unique, diverse and among them are many endemic species (Varshanidze, 2018). The floristic region of Adjara is situated in the north-western part of the western Caucasian corridor of the world-known Caucasian “Hotpoint”, which is distinguished with the uniqueness of its relict Colchis flora. In Eastern Europe it represents (together with Tertiary refugium) a completely distinguished, unique plot with its biodiversity. Adjara florais has rich genetic resources, with its endemic, relict and rare species, many from which were lost as a result of gaining forest resources, trading and collecting successive amounts of plants. The relict, endemic populations faced extinction (Manvelidze, 2009; 2009;Jakeli, 2018)
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