Abstract
The restoration of damaged or disrupted forests with genetically appropriate restoration planting material that can adapt to future environmental conditions will ensure the conservation of forest genetic resources. Abies koreana is endemic to the Republic of Korea, with declining populations under current environmental changes. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity of its largest population growing on Mt. Hallasan to determine the sampling size of planting material from the population that will ensure 95% coverage of alleles in the population. We evaluated the genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of three subpopulations of A. koreana on Mt. Hallasan. A total of 456 samples were evaluated using 10 microsatellites. The observed heterozygosity and expected heterozygosity were 0.538 and 0.614 at the population level, respectively. The differences among the subpopulations accounted for 4% of the total variance. Intervals between individuals of the sample to be extracted were based on the two-target distance (5 and 10 m) inferred from the spatial genetic structure. Through random sampling methods considering the target distance, we showed that genetic diversity can be captured by obtaining at least 35 individuals in the population of A. koreana on Mt. Hallasan.
Highlights
Approaches to restore damaged or disrupted forests should utilize genetically appropriate restoration material that can adapt to future environmental conditions and ensure the sustainable use and conservation of forest genetic resources [1]
K = 1 based on the theory suggested by Pritchard et al [30] (Figure 3a). It is a common and well-known bias of STRUCTURE to show K = 2, even without population subdivision [37,38]. These results indicate that there is no difference between subpopulations of A. koreana in Mt
We proposed sampling 35 individuals, as an optimal sampling strategy to capture the genetic diversity of A. koreana on Mt
Summary
Approaches to restore damaged or disrupted forests should utilize genetically appropriate restoration material that can adapt to future environmental conditions and ensure the sustainable use and conservation of forest genetic resources [1]. The introduction of exotic species alters the existing unique genetic traits of native species, resulting in genetic pollution. Introgression may lead to the loss of native species identity through hybridization, which is exacerbated by the smaller number of populations [2]. It is important to use plant material native to the habitat to be restored [3]. The selection of the restoration material should be based on the unique genetic characteristics of native habitats to ensure sustainable conservation of the genetic resources, by improving plant adaptability to changes in the environment [4]. Genetic diversity is a crucial factor for species survival and adaptation, and changes in population genetic diversity, estimated using genetic statistics, are a predictor of population resilience to environmental changes [5,6]
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