Genetic diversity and genetic structure of black alder (Alnus glutinosa [L.] Gaertn) in the Belgium-Luxembourg-France cross-border area

Abstract

Due to its beneficial effects on river ecosystems, black alder (Alnus glutinosa) is one of the tree species selected for planting on riverbanks in the cross-border area encompassing Wallonia in Belgium, Lorraine in France, and Luxembourg. The preservation of this species, however, is threatened by an invasive pathogen that particularly targets and kills young alder individuals. The objectives of this study were to characterize the genetic diversity and the genetic structure of A. glutinosa at this local level with the aim of assisting the conservation and replanting strategies and to determine if a germplasm collection comprising individuals from the same cross-border area captures the diversity present in the region. Nuclear simple sequence repeat (SSR) and chloroplastic DNA (cpDNA) markers were used to analyze four local wild populations and the germplasm collection which is representative of two river catchments and six legal provenance regions. Three populations distant from the studied area were also included. A panel of 14 nuclear SSR loci revealed high allelic diversity and very low differentiation among wild populations (mean F ST = 0.014). The germplasm collection displayed a range of alleles that were representative of the different populations, and no significant differentiation between the germplasm collection and the local wild populations was observed, making this collection, as far as allelic diversity is concerned, suitable for providing trees for riverbank replanting programs. Using SSR markers, various statistical approaches consistently indicated the lack of a significant geographical structure at the level of the river catchments or provenance regions. In contrast, two cpDNA haplotypes were detected and displayed a cross-border geographically structured distribution that could be taken into account in defining new cross-border provenance regions.

Genetic diversity and population structure of the endangered orchid Pelatantheria scolopendrifolia (Orchidaceae) in Korea

“…In particular, studies of microsatellite markers remain popular in population genetics and conservation genetics because these markers are co-dominant, highly polymorphic, selectively neutral, and have high mutation rates [22,23]. Chloroplast (cp) DNA markers are also useful for evaluating population genetic diversity and structure [24][25][26] as well as phylogenetic analyses [27][28][29] because of non-recombinant and uniparental inheritance [30].…”

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Rhododendron rex Subsp. rex Inferred from Microsatellite Markers and Chloroplast DNA Sequences

“…cpDNA can reveal a more highly geographical structure than a nuclear genome [17] and is generally used in the detection of phylogeographical patterns in plant species [18,19]. Thus, nSSRs and cpDNA were extensively and successfully documented to study the genetic diversity, variation, and population demographic of plant species [17,[20][21][22].Habitat loss and destruction are global problems that continue to threaten global biodiversity [23,24]. Firstly, habitat destruction and loss can cause a decline in the distribution range and population and limit the natural regeneration of a species.…”

Genetic Diversity of Alnus nitida Reported from Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

“…The phenotypic quantitative traits were leaf size, petiole size, catkin size, and nut size. It was mainly used to check the level of diversity (Mejnartowicz, 2008) and variability (Mingeot et al, 2016) among the genotypes of Alnus nitida.…”