Biodiv Sci ›› 2008, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (3): 271-278.  DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1003.2008.07312

• Original article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Genetic diversity of natural populations of Acacia pennatain Xishuangbanna, Yunnan

Jie Gao1,2, Qiaoming Li1,*()   

  1. 1 Laboratory of Plant Phylogenetics and Conservation Biology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223
    2 Graduate University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049
  • Received:2007-10-17 Accepted:2008-01-21 Online:2008-05-20 Published:2008-05-20
  • Contact: Qiaoming Li

Abstract:

Acacia pennata is an economically important plant that is used for timber and food by the local people in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation of natural populations and present a scientific framework for the conservation and utilization of A. pennata. We estimated the genetic diversity and genetic structure of seven natural populations in Xishuangbanna using SSR techniques. A relatively high level of genetic diversity was detected in A. pennata using six polymorphic microsatellite loci. Based on six primers, 23 alleles were detected. Average (Na) and effective (Ne) number of alleles were 3.381 and 2.460, respectively. The mean expected heterozygosity (He) was 0.573 and Nei’s diversity index (h) was 0.567. The highest genetic diversity was found in Jinghong population, while the lowest was found in Manla population. The majority of genetic variation occurred within populations and could have resulted from low genetic differentiation (FST = 0.113). Acacia pennata is a perennial species with a wide distribution; these characteristics could account for the relatively high genetic diversity we observed. Furthermore, this species has an outcrossing breeding system and its seeds are widely dispersed, a situation amenable to high genetic diversity and low levels of genetic differentiation among populations. Therefore, we should focus on sampling more individuals from populations with higher genetic diversity and sampling different populations forex-situ conservation of A. pennata.

Key words: Acacia pennata, SSR, genetic diversity, genetic differentiation