ABSTRACT. Owing to a severe decline in its abundance, Pinus dabeshanensis has been listed as an endangered species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Although several restoration events have been undertaken since the 1960s, the natural population genetic structure of this species remains to be investigated. Herein, we examined the level of genetic diversity and structure of two native and two non-native populations using 10 microsatellite loci. A relatively high level of genetic variation (H O = 0.586 ± 0.039) and a low level of population differentiation (F ST = 0.016 ± 0.011) were revealed. For forensic investigation, an assignment test was performed. To better understand the genetic differentiation between the native and nonnative populations, the individuals in the transplanted and cultivated populations may have derived from populations that were not surveyed 2 Z.Y. Zhang et al. ©FUNPEC-RP www.funpecrp.com.br Genetics and Molecular Research 15 (2): gmr.15027937 in this study. In light of our results, we discuss the real problems faced by all four populations and provide useful information for management decision-making.

ABSTRACT. In lily flowers, the volatile ester methyl benzoate is one of the major and abundant floral scent compounds; however, knowledge regarding the biosynthesis of methyl benzoate remains unknown for Lilium. In this study, we isolated a benzoic acid/salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase (BSMT) gene, LiBSMT, from petals of Lilium 'Yelloween'. The gene has an open reading frame of 1083 base pairs (bp) and encodes a protein of 41.05 kDa. Sequence alignment and phylogenetic analyses of LiBSMT revealed 40-50% similarity with other known benzenoid carboxyl methyltransferases in other plant species, and revealed homology to BSMT of Oryza sativa.