Population Structure of and Conservation Strategies for Wild Pyrus ussuriensis Maxim. in China

Abstract

Pyrus ussriensis Maxim. is native to the northern part of China, but whose habitats are currently being destroyed by environmental changes and human deforestation. An investigation of population structure and genetic diversity of wild Ussurian pear is a priority in order to acquire fundamental knowledge for conservation. A total of 153 individuals of wild Ussurian pear from the main habitats, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Inner Mongolia in China, possessed low genetic diversity as a result of habitat fragmentation. The genetic diversity of the populations in Inner Mongolia and north east of Heilongjiang was especially low and there was the possibility of inbreeding. Wild Ussurian pears were divided into 5 groups based on the Bayesian clustering method using 20 nuclear SSRs (nSSRs) and 5 groups by haplotype distributions using 16 chloroplast SSRs (cpSSRs), and the populations in Inner Mongolia and north east of Heilongjiang represented unique genotypes. AMOVA indicated there was a 20.05% variation in nSSRs and a 44.40% variation in cpSSRs among populations. These values are relatively high when compared to those of other tree species. Haplotype E, positioned in the center of the cpSSR analysis network and showed the largest number of connections with other haplotypes, represented the most important haplotype. Inner Mongolia and the north east of Heilongjiang are two areas that need urgent conservation because of their genetic vulnerability and peculiarity. We determined 4 conservation units based on the clustering by nSSRs and cpSSRs, and geographic factor. This information is helpful in deciding the conservation strategies for wild Ussurian pear in China.

Genetic diversity and population structure of black cottonwood (Populus deltoides) revealed using simple sequence repeat markers

“…Genetic diversity is an important component of biodiversity, and is the basis of ecosystem and species diversity [1][2][3]. Understanding the genetic diversity and structure of germplasm resources aids efficient and rational development, and the utilization of germplasm resources on the premise of effective protection [4][5][6][7]. The growth characteristics of trees involve reaching a large size with a long growth cycle; therefore, it is necessary to analyze their genetic diversity and population structure.…”

Variation in Microsatellite Loci Reveals a Natural Boundary of Genetic Differentiation among Pyrus betulaefolia Populations in Northern China

“…CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS. Continuous urbanization and climate change have led to a decreased number of populations of wild pear species in China over recent decades, and genetic diversity of those wild pears has gradually eroded (Liu et al, 2012;Wuyun et al, 2013Wuyun et al, , 2015. Measures including ex situ and/or in situ conservation approaches should be performed to preserve the germplasm of wild Pyrus species.…”

“…Until now, the genetic diversity of a few Pyrus species has been evaluated by noncoding regions of cpDNA; Liu et al (2013) and Wuyun et al (2013Wuyun et al ( , 2015 used different cpDNA fragments to evaluate the genetic diversity of P. pashia and P. ussuriensis, respectively. Our previous study using cpDNA showed that P. betulaefolia populations in northern China contained a high level of genetic diversity and experienced rapid range expansion (Zong et al, 2014), and both restricted gene flow with isolation by distance (IBD) and allopatric fragmentation were crucial processes responsible for shaping the genetic patterns of P. betulaefolia.…”

Situación Actual De La Base De Datos Genéticos De Vertebrados De La Región Loreto, Perú

“…Para fines de mejoramiento genético los análisis de estructuración poblacional son fundamentales (Wuyun et al, 2015). Los clados obtenidos con estos análisis permiten agrupar diferentes poblaciones de la misma especie en grupos estructurados biológicamente.…”