Genetic diversity of the rare Asian plant, Trigonobalanus doichangensis (Fagaceae)

Abstract

Trigonobalanus doichangensis is a national rare and endangered fagaceous plant of China. It is currently restricted to five sites, four in Yunnan province in south-western China and one in northern Thailand. We investigated the genetic diversity of T. doichangensis to provide information for the effective preservation of the genetic diversity of the species. Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess the genetic variation and structure in each of the five extant populations. Sixteen primers produced 157 fragments, of which 83 (53%) were polymorphic. The estimated species diversity of T. doichangensis, although lower than for most fagaceous species, was within the range of values that have been reported for the family. The presence of private and/or uncommon fragments in each population, the presence of unique phenotypes in all individuals sampled, and estimates of relatively high populational fixation and low gene flow indicated that the species diversity present was mostly distributed among the five isolated extant populations. Pairwise genetic distances between populations were not correlated with geographical distances as depicted by the resolution of one of the Chinese populations as most similar to the Thailand population. Conservation of this species should include preservation of each of the five distinct extant populations.