Pak. J. Bot., 47(6): 2171-2179, 2015.

INFERRING GENETIC DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENTIATION OF THE ENDANGERED CHINESE ENDEMIC PLANT SAUVAGESIA RHODOLEUCA (OCHNACEAE) USING MICROSATELLITE MARKERS

1 Guangxi Key Laboratory of Plant Conservation and Restoration Ecology in Karst Terrain,  Guangxi Institute of Botany, Guangxi Zhuangzu Autonomous Region and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guilin 541006, P.R. China

2 Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems & Guangdong Provincial Key, Laboratory of Applied Botany, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, P. R. China

3Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P.R. China *Corresponding author’s e-mail: chenzong_7839@qq.com

Abstract: Sauvagesia rhodoleuca is one of the most endangered species in China. It has a narrow distribution in the evergreen broadleaved forest of southern China. Up to now, only six populations remained in two provinces. In this study, eight microsatellite loci were used to examine genetic diversity in these populations. We found very low levels of genetic diversity within populations of S. rhodoleuca with average observed and expected heterozygosity (HO and HE) of 0.069 and 0.186, respectively. Estimated inbreeding coefficients (FIS) within populations were high suggests the probable selfing in the species.Combination of the UPGMA dendrogram and the INSTRUCT analysis show that six extant populations could be classified into three distinct genetic groups and no pattern of isolation by distance was detected among populations. The low genetic variation within populations and high genetic differentiation among populations indicate that the management for the conservation of genetic diversity in S. rhodoleuca should aim to preserve every population.

Key words: Sauvagesia rhodoleuca, Genetic diversity, Genetic differentiation, Selfing, Conservation.