Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure in sweetpotato using SSR markers

Sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas(L.) Lam., is an important food crop worldwide. Large scale evaluation of sweetpotato germplasm for genetic diversity is necessary to determine the genetic relationships between them and effectively use them in the genetic improvement. In this study, the genetic diversity of 617 sweetpotato accessions, including 376landraces and 162 bred varieties from China and 79 introduced varieties from 11 other countries, was assessed using 30 simple sequence repeat(SSR) primer pairs with high polymorphism. Based on the population structure analysis,these sweetpotato accessions were divided into three groups, Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3, which included 228, 136and 253 accessions, respectively. Consistent results were obtained by phylogenic analysis and principal coordinate analysis(PCoA). Of the three groups, Group 2 showed the highest level of genetic diversity and its accessions were mainly distributed in low-latitude regions. The accessions from South China exhibited the highest level of genetic diversity, which supports the hypothesis that Fujian and Guangdong were the first regions where sweetpotato was introduced to China. Analysis of molecular variance(AMOVA) indicated significant genetic differentiations between the different groups, but low levels of genetic differentiation existed between the different origins and accession types.These results provide valuable information for the better utilization of these accessions in sweetpotato breeding.

Genetic Diversity,Population Structure,and Genome-Wide Association Study of Seven Agronomic Traits in 273 Diverse Upload Cotton Accessions

Upland cotton(Gossypium hirsutum)is the most important plant producing natural fibers for the textile industry.In this study,we first investigated the phenotypic variation of seven agronomic traits of 273 diverse cotton accessions in the years 2017 and 2018,which were from 18 geographical regions.We found large variations among the traits in different geographical regions and only half of the traits in either years 2017 or 2018 followed a normal distribution.We then genotyped the collection with 81,612 high quality SNPs.Phylogenetic tree and population structure revealed a diverse genetic structure of the core collection,and geographical diversification was an important factor,but account for part of the variances of genetic diversification.We then performed genome-wide association study for the seven traits in the years 2017 and 2018,and the average values of each trait in the two years,respectively.We identified a total of 19 significant marker-trait associations and found that Pollen Ole e 1 allergen/extension could be the candidate gene associated with the fall-off cotton bolls from the last three branches.In addition,large variations were observed for the heritability of traits in the years 2017 and 2018.These results provide new potential candidate genes for further functional validation,which could be useful for genetic improvement and breeding of new cotton cultivars with better agronomic performances.

Microsatellite analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis)

Chinese mitten crab （Eriocheir sinensis） has higher commercial value as food source than any other species of Eriocheir in China. To evaluate the germplasm resources and characterize the genetic diversity and population structure of the crabs in different water systems, two stocks and two farming populations were assessed with 25 polymorphic microsallite loci available in public GenBank. Basic statistics showed that the average observed heterozygosity （Ho） amongst populations ranged from 0.5789 to 0.6824. However, a remarkable presence of inbreeding and heterozygote deficiencies were observed. To analyze population structure, pairwise FST coefficients explained only -10.3% variability from the subdivision of mitten crab populations, the remaining variability stems from the subdivision within subpopulations. Although the four populations had slight differentiation, different allelic frequencies resulted in distinct population structures. Two stocks and one farming population were clustered together to the phylogenetic branch of Yangtze crab, with an approximate membership of 95%. Whereas, another farming population was clustered singly to the phylogenetic branch of the Liaohe crab, with a membership of 97.1%. The tests for individual admixture showed that Yangtze crab had probably been contaminated with individuals from other water systems. Genetic relationships between populations also supported the conclusion that Yangtze crab and Liaohe crab had different gene pools in spite of the origins of the same species.

AFLP analysis revealed differences in genetic diversity of four natural populations of Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum) in China

The amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） technology was used to analyze the genetic diversities in four natural populations of Manila clam （ Ruditapes philippinarum）, distributed in four sea areas of China, i.e. , the Bohai Sea, the Huanghai Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea. Two hundred and sixty-four AFLP loci were analysed in 195 individuals and revealed high levels of genetic diversity. The percentage of polymorphic loci ranged from 92.13% to 96.06% and the Shannon＇ s information index was from 0.256 8 to 0. 275 6. By analyzing molecular variance （ AMOVA）, it was found that there were high levels of genetic differentiation between populations of Qingdao and the other three sea areas. Cluster analysis by Nei＇ s pairwise distances grouped specimens by geographical origin, except the population of Qingdao. A conclusion can be drawn that there are high genetic diversities in the four natural populations of Manila clam in China and some distinct differences existed among and between the four populations. The results also indicated that human cultivation activities will have great influence on the genetic structure of the population of Qingdao.

Analysis of genetic diversity and population structure of Chinese yak breeds (Bos grunniens) using microsatellite markers

Nine Chinese yak breeds （Maiwa, Tianzhu White, Qinghai Plateau, Sibu, Zhongdian, Pali, Tibetan High Mountain, Jiulong, and Xinjiang） and Gayal were analyzed by means of 16 microsatellite markers to determine the level of genetic variation within populations, genetic relationship between populations, and population structure for each breed. A total of 206 microsatellite alleles were observed. Mean F-statistics （0.056） for 9 yak breeds indicated that 94.4% of the genetic variation was observed within yak breeds and 5.6% of the genetic variation existed amongst breeds. The Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic tree was constructed based on Nei＇s standard genetic distances and two clusters were obtained. The Gayal separated from the yaks far away and formed one cluster and 9 yak breeds were grouped together. The analysis of population structure for 9 yak breeds and the Gayal showed that they resulted in four clusters; one cluster includes yaks from Tibet Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province, one cluster combines Zhongdian, Maiwa, and Tianzhu White, and Jiulong and Xinjiang come into the third cluster. Pali was mainly in the first cluster （90%）, Jiulong was mainly in the second cluster （87.1%）, Zhongdian was primarily in the third cluster （83%）, and the other yak breeds were distributed in two to three clusters. The Gayal was positively left in the fourth cluster （99.3%）.

Assessing genetic diversity of wild populations of Japanese flounderusing AFLP markers

Amplified fragment length polymorphism （AFLP） analysis was used to evaluate the genetic diversity of four wild geographical populations of Japanese flounder （Paralichthys olivaceus）. A total of 775 loci （58.32% of which was polymorphic） in the range between 100 and 1 300 base pairs were detected from 110 individuals using seven primer combinations. The percentage of polymorphic loci detected by single primer combination for each population was calculated, ranging from 19.59% to 53.33%. Genetic similarities within and among the populations were calculated from the binary matrices of presence - absence. Phylogenetic tree of four populations was constructed by using the UPGMA method using PHYLIP Version 3.5. According to intrapopulation genetic similarities, CW population displayed the highest genetic diversity value and KY population had the lowest genetic diversity value. The distance between CW and CF populations was the farthest, which was possibly resulted from the farthest distance of Weihai of Shandong and Fujian of China compared with the geographical distance between other locations of populations. The subpopulation differentiation value （G.,） is 0. 356 5, showing a certain extent of differentiation among the four geographical populations. AFLP technology was confirmed to be an effective tool to assess within- and among-population genetic diversity of Japanese flounder. The present survey provided significant insights for research in the Japanese flounder breeding program.

ISSR Analysis on Genetic Diversity of the 34 Populations of Oryza meyeriana Distributing in Yunnan Province,China

The genetic diversity of the 34 populations of wild rice Oryza meyeriana Baill. distributed in Yunnan Province, China was analyzed using 13 inter-simple sequence repeat （ISSR） markers. A total of 168 bands were amplified, of which 135 polymorphic bands were discovered and the percentage of polymorphic bands （PPB） was 80.36%. A genetic diversity was revealed as Nei＇s gene diversity （H） = 0.2666 and Shannon information index （I） = 0.4028 at population level. The 34 populations were divided into different groups based on administrative regions, latitude and longitudes, river areas, altitudes of their origins, and their indexes such as Na （number of alleles）, Ne （effective number of alleles）, H, I and PPB were calculated. Richer genetic diversity was found in the wild rice populations distributed in Simao Prefecture than that in Lingcang Prefecture or Xishuangbanna Prefecture whereas the least genetic diversity was in Baoshan Prefecture or Dehong Prefecture. Rich genetic diversity was also discovered in the wild rice populations originated from higher than 710 m altitude around the middle and lower reaches of the Lancang River belonging to the Pacific Ocean drainage system. The 34 populations could be classified into two groups, one group covered the wild rice distributing in Simao Prefecture only while the other group covered ones in Lingcang, Xishuangbanna and Dehong Prefectures. The issue on how to effectively conserve the wild rice germplasm was discussed.

Genetic diversity and structure of Rhododendron meddianum,a plant species with extremely small populations

Rhododendron meddianum is a critically endangered species with important ornamental value and is also a plant species with extremely small populations.In this study,we used double digest restriction-siteassociated DNA sequencing(ddRAD)technology to assess the genetic diversity,genetic structure and demographic history of the three extant populations of R.meddianum.Analysis of SNPs indicated that R.meddianum populations have a high genetic diversity(p?0.0772±0.0024,HE?0.0742±0.002).Both FST values(0.1582e0.2388)and AMOVA showed a moderate genetic differentiation among the R.meddianum populations.Meanwhile,STRUCTURE,PCoA and NJ trees indicated that the R.meddianum samples were clustered into three distinct genetic groups.Using the stairway plot,we found that R.meddianum underwent a population bottleneck about 70,000 years ago.Furthermore,demographic models of R.meddianum and its relative,Rhododendron cyanocarpum,revealed that these species diverged about 3.05(2.21e5.03)million years ago.This divergence may have been caused by environmental changes that occurred after the late Pliocene,e.g.,the Asian winter monsoon intensified,leading to a drier climate.Based on these findings,we recommend that R.meddianum be conserved through in situ,ex situ approaches and that its seeds be collected for germplasm.

Genetic Diversity of Natural Myrica rubra Sieb.et Zucc Populations in Guangxi Revealed by ISSR Markers

The present study was conducted to assess the molecular characterization and genetic diversity amongst natural populations of Myrica rubra in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, thus to provide scientific evidence for germplasm conservation and exploitation. Using ISSR （inter-simple sequence repeats） markers, the level of genetic variation and the molecular characterization of 10 natural populations of M. rubra, originated from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in China, were performed. Based on 11 primers, 123 clear and reproducible DNA fragments were generated, of which 95 （77.24%） were polymorphic. The average value of Nei＇s gene diversity （He） was 0.268. The coefficient of genetic differentiation （Gst） was 0.341, revealing that 34.1% of the total molecular variance existed among populations. The Mantel statistical testing showed that the genetic distance was correlated to the geographic distance, but the correlation was not significant. Ten populations were divided into two big clusters according to unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean （UPGMA） analysis. One consisted of populations of Rongxian （RX）, Hepu （HP）, Liangqing （LQ）, Marshan （MS）, Lingshan （LS） and Shansi （SS）, which originated from the southern Guangxi, while the other was composed of Guanyang （GY） and Lingui （LG） populations of northern Guangxi, Huanjiang （HJ） populations of northwestern Guangxi and Shanglin （SL） populations of southern Guangxi. The level of genetic variation in wild M. rubra population distributed in Guangxi is high. Gene drift within the population was responsible for genetic variation in wild M. rubra in Guangxi, and the effect of the genetic flow among inter-populations was not significant. Classification of wild M. rubra populations was correlated to climate and environment. The molecular characterization and diversity assessment of M. rubra is of immense value for planning conservation of its genetic resources and their exploitation for further studies.

Analysis of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Maize Landraces from the South Maize Region of China

Understanding genetic diversity and population structure of landraces is important in utilization of these germplasm in breeding programs. In the present study, a total of 143 core maize landraces from the South Maize Region （SR） of China, which can represent the general profile of the genetic diversity in the landraces germplasm of SR, were genotyped by 54 DNA microsatellite markers. Totally, 517 alleles （ranging from 4 to 22） were detected among these landraces, with an average of 9.57 alleles per locus. The total gene diversity of these core landraces was 0.61, suggesting a rather higher level of genetic diversity. Analysis of population structure based on Bayesian method obtained the samilar result as the phylogeny neighbor-joining （N J） method. The results indicated that the whole set of 143 core landraces could be clustered into two distinct groups. All landraces from Guangdong, Hainan, and 15 landraces from Jiangxi were clustered into group 1, while those from the other regions of SR formed the group 2. The results from the analysis of genetic diversity showed that both of groups possessed a similar gene diversity, but group 1 possessed relatively lower mean alleles per locus （6.63） and distinct alleles （91） than group 2 （7.94 and 110, respectively）. The relatively high richness of total alleles and distinct alleles preserved in the core landraces from SR suggested that all these germplasm could be useful resources in germplasm enhancement and maize breeding in China.

Genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships between and within wild Pistacia species populations and implications for its conservation

Although cultivation and utilization of Pistacia are fully exploited, the evolutionary history of the Pistacia genus and the relationships among the species and accessions is still not well understood. The aim of this study was to analyze random amplified polymorphic DNA（RAPD） in a total of 50 accessions of wild pistachio species, which included five populations Pistacia vera, Pistacia khinjuk,Pistacia atlantica, Pistacia mutica, and Pistacia eurycarpa.High levels of genetic diversity were detected within wild pistachio accessions, as revealed by using the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging and supported via analysis of molecular variance. The objectives of this investigation were to estimate marker indices, polymorphic information contents（PICs）, and genetic similarities（GS）for RAPD markers; assess the genetic diversity of Pistacia species, using GS estimated from RAPD fingerprints and molecular characterization; and facilitate the use of markers in inter-specific introgression and cultivar improvement.Out of the 149 polymerase chain reaction fragments that were scored, 146（97.98 %） were polymorphic. Genetic similarities ranged from 0.3 to 0.86 %, marker indices ranged from 2.98 to 17.74 %, and PICs ranged from 0.80 to0.99 %. Our results provided great molecular identification of all assayed genotypes, which have shown that there is large quantity of genetic diversity among the pistachio accessions. This finding might render striking information in breeding management strategies for genetic conservation and cultivar development.

Genetic diversity analysis of spawner and recaptured populations of Chinese shrimp(Fenneropenaeus chinensis)during stock enhancement in the Bohai Bay based on an SSR marker

Eight microsatellite markers were used to analyze genetic diversity, level of inbreeding, and effective population size of spawner and recaptured populations of Chinese shrimp（Fenneropenaeus chinensis） during stock enhancement in the Bohai Bay in 2013. A total of 254 and 238 alleles were identified in the spawner and recaptured populations, respectively, and the numbers of alleles（N_a） were 8–63 and 6–60, respectively. The numbers of effective alleles（N_e） were 2.52–21.60 and 2.67–20.72, respectively. The polymorphism information content ranged from 0.529 to 0.952. The observed heterozygosity（H_o） values（0.638–0.910 and 0.712–0.927） were lower than the expected heterozygosity（H_e） values（0.603–0.954 and 0.625–0.952）, which indicated that the two populations possessed a rich genetic diversity. In 16 tests（2 populations×8 loci）, 13 tests deviated from the HardyWeinberg equilibrium. F_（is） values were positive at seven loci and the inbreeding coefficients（F） of the two populations estimated by trio ML were 13.234% and 11.603%, suggesting that there was a relatively high degree of inbreeding. A certain level of inbreeding depression had occurred in the Chinese shrimp population. F_（st） values ranged from 0 to 0.059, with a mean of 0.028, displaying a low level of genetic differentiation in the two populations. Effective population sizes（3 060.2 and 3 842.8） were higher than the minimum number suggested for retaining the evolutionary potential to adapt to new environmental conditions. For enhancement activity in 2014,the ideal number of captured shrimp spawners should have ranged from 7 686 to 19 214 to maintain genetic diversity and effective population size. Further strategies to adjust the balance of economic cost, fishing effort and ideal number of shrimp spawners to maintain a satisfactory effective population size for ensuring the sustainability of Chinese shrimp are proposed.

Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of 161 broccoli cultivars based on SNP markers

To better understand the genetic diversity and population structure of broccoli cultivars planted in China,a total of 161 representative broccoli cultivars in the past 25 years were collected and analysed based on single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers.Ten pairs of primers with good polymorphism and high resolution were screened from 315 pairs of SNP primers by 3 broccoli accessions(inbred lines)with different phenotypes and maturity.The 10 pairs of SNP primers were selected,producing 78 alleles.The diversity analysis indicated that the polymorphism information content(PIC)of SNP primer ranged from 0.64 to 0.90.The observed number of alleles(Na)was 2.00,the effective number of alleles(Ne)was 1.11–2.00,the Nei’s gene diversity(H)was 0.10–0.50,and Shannon information index(I)was 0.20–0.70 using PopGene32 software.The clustering results showed that the 161 broccoli cultivars could be divided into 4 major subgroups(A,B,C and D),foreign cultivars were all assigned to subgroup A,and domestic cultivars were assigned to 3 subgroups of B,C,and D.This study indicated that some domestic cultivars and foreign cultivars were similar in genetic background,but most domestic cultivars were still different from the Japanese cultivars.When K=2,the population structure result presented that 161 broccoli cultivars could be divided into 1 simple group(2 groups)and 1 mixed group.When Q≥0.6,143(88.82%)broccoli cultivars belonged to the simple groups.In simple groups 68(42.24%)broccoli cultivars of group 1 were derived from Japan,the United States,Switzerland,the Netherlands,China-Taiwan,and China-Mainland;75(46.58%)broccoli cultivars belonged to group 2;when Q<0.6,18(11.18%)broccoli cultivars belonged to the mixed groups.This study is helpful to understand the diversity and resolution of broccoli cultivars from worldwide,which is beneficial to plant breeding and materials innovation.And meanwhile,this result is also used for construction of broccoli fingerprint serving for cultivar identification.

Genetic diversity and population structure of 288 potato(Solanum tuberosum L.) germplasms revealed by SSR and AFLP markers

Potato （Solanum tuberosum L.） is an important staple food and economic crop in many countries. China has led world potato production in recent years. To understand the genetic diversity of potato germplasms and to enrich the current gene pool for potato improvement, we made a global collection consisted of 288 potato germplasms from eight countries and the International Potato Center （CIP）. Using SSR and AFLP techniques, we evaluated the genetic diversity and population structure of these 288 potato accessions. A total of 190 alleles on 20 SSR loci were detected and all of the SSR alleles were polymorphic among these potato germplasms with an average of 9.5 alleles per SSR locus ranging from 2 to 23. The effective number of alleles per locus （Ne＊）, Nei＇s genetic diversity （H＊）, and Shannon＇s information index （I＊） was from （0.1709＋0.3698） to （1.6166＋0.3414）, （0.076＋0.1388） to （0.3812＋0.1886）, and （0.1324＋0.1970） to （0.5347＋0.1440）, respec- tively, and the mean polymorphic information content （PIC） value was 0.7312. A total of 988 AFLP alleles were detected by 10 AFLP primer combinations with 983 polymorphic alleles, and 99.49% alleles was polymorphic with an average of 98.3 polymorphic alleles per primer combination ranging from 91 to 116. The values of Ne＊, H＊ and/＊ were from （1.5162＋0.311 ） to （1.6423＋0.3278）, （0.3114＋0.145） to （0.3675＋0.1121）, and （0.4761＋0.1792） to （0.547＋0.1322）, respectively, and the average PIC value was 0.9871. Bayesian analysis discriminated the accessions into seven subgroup and an admix group. The majority of accessions from CIP and China were assigned into SG1, SG5, SG6, SG7 and admix group. Accessions in SG3 were mainly from CIP and two small groups SG2 and SG4 were mainly from northeastern China. In general, the results obtained from Bayesian statistical analysis, cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis consistently revealed the lack of geographical differentiation among country-wide collections, indicating germplasm introduction was common for the countries out of potato origin center. The poiymorphic markers and the differentiate genetic lineages found in this study provide useful information for potato improvement and conservation programs.

Evaluation of Population Structure, Genetic Diversity and Origin of Northeast Asia Weedy Rice Based on Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

Weedy rice exerts a severe impact on rice production by competing for sunlight, water and nutrients. This study assayed the population structure, genetic diversity and origin of Northeast Asia weedy rice by using 48 simple sequence repeat markers. The results showed that weedy rice in Northeast Asia had a high genetic diversity, with Shannon＇s diversity index （I） of 0.748 and the heterozygosity （He） of 0.434. In each regional population, I value varied widely. The widest range of I （0.228-0.489） was observed in the weedy rice of Eastern China, which was larger than that of Northeast China and Korea （0.168-0.270）. The F-statistics of regional populations （Fis, Fit and Fst） also showed higher values in the weedy rice of Eastern China than those of Northeast China and Korea All weedy rice accessions were grouped into two clusters in the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean cluster analysis dendrogram, namely Eastern China branch and Northeastern China plus Korea branch. There was significant differentiation in genetic characteristics in weedy rice of northeastern and eastern Asia, especially in Eastern China.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Landraces and Improved Rice Varieties from India

A set of 50 rice genotypes comprising landraces, local selections, and improved varieties were characterized using simple sequence repeat（SSR） and inter simple sequence repeat（ISSR） markers to study genetic diversity and population structure. Following unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean based clustering using binary data of polymorphic markers, the genotypes were grouped into 5 clusters and 11 sub-clusters, whereas population structure analysis separated 50 rice genotypes into 5 sub-populations. Grouping of rice genotypes showed better resemblance with the pedigree information of the genotypes. Both genetic diversity and population structure analysis separated majority of the improved varieties from landraces and local selections. Some of the SSR markers amplified unique alleles which were specific to a particular genotype and could distinguish them from the rest. The results indicate that these rice genotypes exhibit a higher genetic diversity and can be very useful in rice improvement program.

Detection of Adaptive Genetic Diversity in Wild Potato Populations and Its Implications in Conservation of Potato Germplasm

A better understanding on how genetic diversity is structured at natural habitats can be helpful for exploration and acquisition of plant germplasm. Historically, studies have relied on DNA markers to elucidate potato genetic diversity. Current advances in genomics are broadening applications allowing the identification of markers linked to genomic regions under selection. Those markers, known as adaptive markers, unlock additional ways to value and organize germplasm diversity. For example, conservation priorities could be given to germplasm units containing markers associated to unique geographic identity, and/or linked to traits of tolerance to abiotic stresses. This study investigated if adaptive marker loci were possible to be identified in a large AFLP marker dataset of ninety-four populations of the wild potato species S. fendleri. These populations originated from six different mountain ranges in southern Arizona, USA. A total of 2094 polymorphic AFLP markers were used to conduct genetic diversity analyses of populations and mountain ranges. Adaptive markers were detected using Bayesian methods which distinguished marker loci departing significantly from frequencies expected under neutral models of genetic differentiation. This identified 16 AFLP loci that were considered to be adaptive. To contrast diversity parameters generated with each set of markers, analyses that included all the 2094 AFLP markers, and only the 16 adaptive markers were conducted. The results showed that both were efficient for establishing genetic associations among populations and mountain ranges. However, adaptive markers were better on revealing geographic patterns and identity which would suggest these markers were linked to selection at the natural sites. An additional test to determine if adaptive markers associated to climate variables found two loci associated to specific climate variables in populations from different regions but sharing similar environmental structure. The distribution of adaptive markers among populations revealed that only two were needed to build a core subset able to keep all the markers. This preliminary assessment shows that adaptive genetic diversity could offer an additional way to measure diversity in potato germplasm and to set up options for conservation and research.

Genetic diversity and population structure of Robinia pseudoacacia from six improved variety bases in China as revealed by simple sequence repeat markers

Robinia pseudoacacia is an important afforesta-tion tree introduced to China in 1878.In the present study,we examined the genetic diversity among 687 strains rep-resenting four improved varieties and two secondary prov-enances,comprising 641 clones and 46 seedlings.Ninety-one simple sequence repeats(SSRs)were selected through segregation analysis and polymorphism characterization,and all sampled individuals were genotyped using well-characterized SSR markers.After excluding loci with non-neutral equilibrium,missing locus data and null alleles,we used 36 primer pairs to assess the genetic diversity of these germplasm resources,revealing vast genetic differentiation among the samples,with an average of 8.352 alleles per locus and a mean Shannon′s index of 1.302.At the popula-tion level,the partitioning of variability was assessed using analysis of molecular variance,which revealed 93%and 7%variation within and among collection sites,respectively.Four clusters were detected using structure analysis,indi-cating a degree of genetic differentiation among the six populations.Insights into the genetic diversity and structure of R.pseudoacacia provide a theoretical basis for the con-servation,breeding and sustainable development in China.

Structure and genetic diversity of natural populations of Guadua weberbaueri in the southwestern Amazon,Brazil

The Brazilian state of Acre has an extensive natural reserve of bamboo,making it one of the largest in loco gene banks.The aim of this study was to characterize the structure and genetic diversity of Guadua weberbaueri Pilg.in two populations,one native(FAPB)and the other anthropized(FAPBA),using ISSR markers.The results show that the FAPB population exhibited higher values for all estimates of population diversity.However,the FAPBA population also showed high heterozygosity,corroborated by estimated gene flow(Nm=3.9)between the populations.The study of the association between Nei’s genetic distances and the geographic distances between the populations were significantly correlated(r=0.45,p=0.01),corroborated by the dendrogram revealing two distinct groups corresponding to the collection sites,without mixing classes between populations in the same group.As for the coancestry coefficient,pairs of individuals in the first distance class were positive and significant,indicating that plants that are geographically closer share common alleles with a frequency greater than by chance,which means that there is a tendency that geographically closer individuals are related.Individuals presented similar genetic structure when the geographical distance between them was up to 56 m for FAPB and up to 156 m for FAPBA.It was concluded that anthropized environments exhibit less genetic diversity than native environments,inferring risks for species conservation if appropriate and planned management techniques are not adopted.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Three Strains of Indigenous Tswana Chickens and Commercial Broiler Using Single Nucleotide Polymormophic (SNP) Markers

The Tswana chicken is native to Botswana and comprises strains such as the naked neck, normal, dwarf, frizzled, and rumples. The origins of the different strains of Tswana chicken remain unknown and it is not yet clear if the different strains represent distinct breeds within the large Tswana chicken population. Genetic characterization of different strains of Tswana chickens using SNP arrays can elucidate their genetic relationships and ascertain if the strains represent distinct breeds of Tswana chicken population. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate population structure and diversity and to estimate genetic distances/identity between the naked neck, normal and dwarf strains of Tswana chickens. A total of 96 chickens (normal strain (n = 39), naked neck strain (n = 32), dwarf strain (n = 13) and commercial broiler (n = 12)) were used in the study. SNP genotyping was carried out using the Illumina chicken iSelect SNP 60 Bead chip using the Infinium assay compatible with the Illumina HiScan SQ genotyping platform. The observed heterozygosity (Ho) values were 0.610 ± 0.012, 0.611 ± 0.014, 0.613 ± 0.0006 for normal, naked neck and dwarf strains of Tswana chickens respectively and averaged 0.611 ± 0.016 across the three strains of Tswana chickens compared to Ho of 0.347 ± 0.023 in commercial broiler chicken. The expected heterozygosity (He) values were 0.613 ± 0.00012, 0.614 ± 0.00013, 0.608 ± 0.00021 for normal, naked neck and dwarf strains of Tswana chickens respectively and averaged 0.612 ± 0.00015 across the three strains of Tswana chickens compared to He of 0.577 ± 0.00022 in commercial broiler chicken. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to get an insight into the population structure of indigenous Tswana chickens. The first two principal components revealed a set of three clusters. The normal strain of Tswana chicken and commercial broiler clustered together in one group. The dwarf strain clustered separately in one group and the naked neck and normal strains clustered together in the last group. The separate clustering of the dwarf strain from the rest of Tswana chicken strains suggests significant genetic uniqueness of the dwarf strain and very close genetic similarities between the normal and naked neck strains. The clustering pattern was confirmed by less genetic differentiation and less genetic distances between the naked neck and normal strains of Tswana chicken than between the two strains and the dwarf strain of Tswana chicken.