Diversity Assessment of an Endemic Carpinus oblongifolia (Betulaceae) Using Specific-Locus Amplified Fragment Sequencing and Implications for Conservation

Abstract

Carpinus oblongifolia is an endemic species and the extant wild populations show a fragmentation distribution in the Baohua Mountain of Jiangsu Province in eastern China. Understanding of genetic diversity plays an important role in C. oblongifolia survival and sustainable development. The wild C. oblongifolia population was artificially divided into four subpopulations according to the microhabitats, and another two subpopulations were constructed by progeny seedlings cultivated with the mature seeds. Then, the leaf buds of 80 individuals from six subpopulations were sampled to develop single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq). Based on these SNPs, we aimed to characterize the genetic diversity and population structure of C. oblongifolia and provide an illumination and reference for effective management of such a small endemic population. The level of genetic diversity was low at the species level, and the progeny subpopulations had a relatively higher genetic diversity than the wild subpopulations. This may be attributed to a high gene flow and an excess heterozygosity to reduce the threat of genetic drift-based hazards. Moreover, the progeny subpopulations had the ability to form new clusters and a great contribution to the genetic structure variation of C. oblongifolia. These results will assist with the development of conservation and management strategies, such as properly evacuating competitive trees to provide more chance for pollen and seed flow in situ conservation, and establishing sufficient seedling plantlets under laboratory conditions for reintroduction to enlarge the effective population size.