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<i>In Situ</i> Conservation of Wild Rice Populations: A Targeted Study of Common Wild Rice <i>Oryza rufipogon</i> from China

“…Genetic diversity and differentiation correlates with microgeographic heterogeneities, suggesting that conservation strategies must consider not only global and regional, but also, most importantly, local ecological heterogeneities across a species range [47]. In the case of O. rufipogon, we found that genetic differentiation predominantly occurs within a local population [14]; and 7) Assignment of conservation priorities to the populations which have values of biodiversity education and germplasm utilization. For example, P4 (Changling, Boluo County, GD) is the first wild rice population of the species reported by E. D. Merrill in 1917 in China [48], and is the location where Ting [49] later collected the precious wild rice strains that led to the birth of a series of rice varieties of "Zhongshan 1 Hao", which were widely grown in southern China for at least thirty years.…”

“…Unfortunately, our previous field surveys indicated that this species was at the edge of extinction [3,[7][8][9]. In recent years, we conducted population genetic and molecular ecological studies using multiple genetic markers to obtain deeper insights into levels, distribution and dynamics of genetic diversity within and among natural populations of the species from China [3,[10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. Such investigations of genetic diversity and population structure within the species may not only help to illustrate the evolutionary processes and mechanisms but also provide information useful for developing appropriate and efficient plans for in situ conservation.…”