No abstract

Low levels of genetic variability are common for a number of geographically restricted plants: these data are consistent with theoretical expectations that small populations should be genetically depauperate. However, in some species, high levels of variability have been found in rare species. Allium aaseae is a rare, narrow endemic in the foothills of the Boise Front of southwestern Idaho. Genetic variation in the rare endemic A. aaseae, and nearby populations of the more common species, A. simillimum, was examined with randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data. Eight populations of A. aaseae and six populations of A. simillimum (three near the range of A. aaseae, and three distant populations) of 25 individuals each were examined for this analysis. Genetic diversity as determined with RAPD markers of both species examined in this study is largely found within and not among populations. Levels of genetic diversity are high, especially for a narrow endemic species such as A. aaseae. Proportion of RAPD loci polymorphic was high in both species, although slightly higher in the more common A. simillimum. Because these higher levels of genetic variability run counter to theory, alternative explanations beyond population size must be invoked to explain the levels of genetic diversity found in this study. Possible explanations are (1) A. aaseae is only recently derived from A. simillimum, (2) hybridization between A. aaseae and A. simillimum is occurring, (3) multiple origins of A. aaseae, (4) populations of A. simillimum included in the analysis are all A. aaseae, (5) A. aaseae and A. simillimum are conspecific, and (6) an artifact of RAPD data.

Background: Vietnam's Song Ma village dog is a breed of indigenous dog found along the Ma River in Vietnam. They have many excellent traits, like their intelligence, agility, friendliness toward humans, and more importantly, they are very easy to train, and have the instinctive hunting capabilities of their wild canine ancestors. However, the exploration of genetic diversity and the origins of Song Ma village dogs in Vietnam have a serious lack of information. It is very difficult to promote the conservation of these dogs. Therefore, urgently needed in order to uncover and better understand the genetic architecture of Song Ma village dogs. Methods: We used 100 blood samples collected in Vietnam to estimate genetic diversity by sequencing the hypervariable-1 region. Results: We reported high levels of genetic diversity in the Song Ma village dog (Pi = 0.00912, Hd = 0.969, and Kt = 5.456). A total of 51 different haplotypes were identified in four haplogroups (A, B, C, and E). Furthermore, Song Ma village dogs were discovered in rare groups such as B1, B5, B6, B10, C2, and E1. Notably, no one in the haplogroup has the haplotypes (D and F). There were 49 single nucleotide polymorphisms, including 48 nucleotide base substitution or insertion changes and six nucleotide indel mutations found in the Song Ma village dog. A phylogenetic tree showed that Song Ma village dogs have a close relationship with dogs that originated from East Asia. Conclusions: This study has provided a valuable platform for breeding and conservation and management of the species in Vietnam.