Abstract
Knowledge of genetic diversity and population structure is essential for species conservation and understanding the species evolutionary processes. Cymbidium faberi is a terrestrial orchid listed in Appendix of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), with northernmost distribution in the Qinling Mountains of China. However, few studies have investigated the genetic variation of C. faberi in the Qinling Mountains. Using 12 microsatellite markers, we examined genetic diversity and spatial genetic structure of 284 C. faberi samples collected from 15 locations in the Qinling Mountains. We found that mean allelic richness AR and expected heterozygosity HE were 3.439 and 0.396, respectively. The level of genetic differentiation between populations varied from low to high (FST = 0.0038–0.2586). Also, an increase in genetic distance with geographic distance has been observed (mantel r = 0.846, P < 0.01). Additionally, both STRUCTURE and discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) revealed a significant genetic differentiation in C. faberi. Our results suggest that restricted seed and pollen dispersal may account for the genetic differentiation among populations of C. faberi in the Qinling Mountains; these findings may provide helpful references for understanding the diversity of orchids and developing proper measures to conserve this orchid species.
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