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Dryad

Genetic diversity of Horsfieldia tetratepala (Myristicaceae), an endangered plant species with extremely small populations to China: implications for its conservation

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Jan 13, 2022 version files 867.66 MB

Abstract

Genetic variation determines the evolutionary potential of a species and is vital for fully understanding the evolution of a species, as well as for developing optimal conservation strategies. Horsfieldia tetratepala is an economically important rainforest tree which has declined steadily, mainly though habitat destruction, and an endangered, narrow endemic in China where it is also classified as a Plant Species with Extremely Small Populations (PSESP). Effective conservation strategies for H. tetratepala are required urgently, but limited information about its genome is available. Accordingly, restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD_seq) was used to sequence sixty-three H. tetratepala trees covering ten isolated populations to assess genome-level diversity and population structure, generating 8,103 high-quality SNPs. Low genetic diversity and moderate genetic differentiation was observed among populations, but Bayesian clustering divided the sampled H. tetratepala populations into two genetic clusters, though with some populations from Guangxi and Yunnan intermixed. Because of increasing of habitat fragmentation and human disturbance, conservation priority should be placed on populations with higher genetic variation (e.g., BB, TKH, DWS, and GLQ). Overall, our study provides valuable genomic resources for H. tetratepala that will significantly advance the formulation of effective conservation strategies.