Genetic diversity analysis and conservation of the endangered Chinese endemic herb Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (Orchidaceae) based on AFLP

Abstract

Dendrobium officinale is a critically endangered perennial herb endemic to China. Determining the levels of genetic diversity and patterns of population genetic structure of this species would assist in its conservation and management. Data of 12 populations were used to assess its genetic diversity and population structure, employing the method of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). A high level of genetic diversity was detected (H (E) = 0.269) with POPGENE. As revealed by AMOVA analysis, there was moderate variation between pairs of populations with Phi(ST) values ranging from 0.047 to 0.578 and on average 26.97% of the genetic variation occurred among populations. Three main clusters were shown in UPGMA dendrogram using TFPGA, which is consistent with the result of principal coordinate ananlysis (PCO) using NTSYS. Keeping a stable environment is critical for the in situ conservation and management of this rare and endangered plant, and for ex situ conservation it is important to design an integrated germplasm bank.

Iteration expansion and regional evolution: phylogeography of Dendrobium officinale and four related taxa in southern China

“…However, D. officinale also expanded northward from the Nanling Mountains to the Dabie Mountains. Overall, the dispersal of D. officinale showed a trend towards the east and the north, which is consistent with previous genetic structure studies of D. officinale 5051.…”

Population genetic structure in Phyla scaberrima from Mexico and Colombia assessed by AFLP markers and implications for conservation

“…P. scaberrima showed a genetic variability much lower than that of L. originoides and A. ampularioides, which is considered to be at serious risk of extinction. With regard to Dendrobium offinale (Orchidaceae), its habitats are highly fragmented and discontinuous due to logging, and there is overexploitation of its stems, which are used as a traditional Chinese medicine (Li et al, 2008). In D. officinale, the P P was 40.82%, which is very similar to the results found in the populations of P. scaberrima from Cali (48.75), Dagua (47.44) and Misantla (45.44) ( Table 2).…”

Identification of the Geographic Origin of <i>Dendrobium thyrsiflorum</i> on Chinese Herbal Medicine Market Using Trinucleotide Microsatellite Markers

“…The mean expected heterozygosity across loci within populations of D. thyrsiflorum ranged from 0.76 to 0.82, suggesting that this species has a high level of genetic diversity comparable to that of other Dendrobium species. 10,33,34) Based on a published study, 12) a high level of genetic diversity of D. thyrsiflorum may increase the power of the statistical analysis for identifying the origin of living or processed D. thyrsiflorum samples.…”