Genetic diversity, population structure, and traditional culture of Camellia reticulata

Abstract

Camellia reticulata is an arbor tree that has been cultivated in southwestern China by various sociolinguistic groups for esthetic purposes as well as to derive an edible seed oil. This study examined the influence of management, socio‐economic factors, and religion on the genetic diversity patterns of Camellia reticulata utilizing a combination of ethnobotanical and molecular genetic approaches. Semi‐structured interviews and key informant interviews were carried out with local communities in China's Yunnan Province. We collected plant material (n = 190 individuals) from five populations at study sites using single‐dose AFLP markers in order to access the genetic diversity within and between populations. A total of 387 DNA fragments were produced by four AFLP primer sets. All DNA fragments were found to be polymorphic (100%). A relatively high level of genetic diversity was revealed in C. reticulata samples at both the species (H sp = 0.3397, I sp = 0.5236) and population (percentage of polymorphic loci = 85.63%, H pop = 0.2937, I pop = 0.4421) levels. Findings further revealed a relatively high degree of genetic diversity within C. reticulata populations (Analysis of Molecular Variance = 96.31%). The higher genetic diversity within populations than among populations of C. reticulata from different geographies is likely due to the cultural and social influences associated with its long cultivation history for esthetic and culinary purposes by diverse sociolinguistic groups. This study highlights the influence of human management, socio‐economic factors, and other cultural variables on the genetic and morphological diversity of C. reticulata at a regional level. Findings emphasize the important role of traditional culture on the conservation and utilization of plant genetic diversity.

A comparative study of the population genetics of wild and cultivated populations of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis based on amplified fragment length polymorphism markers

“…Moreover, without grouping included in the AMOVA, the wild populations of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis showed relatively low genetic differentiation (Φ ST = 18.83%) compared with that detected in previous studies of F. cirrhosa D. Don (Zhang et al, ) and Camellia reticulata (Xin et al, ), as well as statistical data (Nybom, ). This revealed that enough gene flow among wild populations might have occurred to have effectively prevented the aggravating of among‐population genetic differentiation.…”

“…Moreover, without grouping included in the AMOVA, the wild populations of P. polyphylla var. yunnanensis showed relatively low genetic differentiation (Φ ST = 18.83%) compared with that detected in previous studies of F. cirrhosa D. Don and Camellia reticulata (Xin et al, 2017), as well as statistical data (Nybom, 2004).…”

Effects of Cultivars and Geography in China on the Lipid Characteristics of <i>Camellia oleifera</i> Seeds

“…CL-40 planted in Fujian Longyang showed the highest content of squalene 90.3 mg/100 g , while wild type planted in Jiangxi Ganzhou showed the lowest content 5.2 mg/100 g . In previous studies, C. reticulata showed relatively high genetic diversity 34 . Lanosterol and ergosterol as mainly found in animal and fungi were detected in COSOs.…”

Development and characterization of EST‐SSR markers for Camellia reticulata

“…This alarming situation necessitates an in‐depth understanding of the current status of the genetic diversity of the species. Studies have been conducted on the genetic diversity of C. reticulata via inter‐simple sequence repeat markers, chloroplast microsatellites, and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (Wang and Ruan, ; Tong et al., ; Yao et al., ; Xin et al., ). Yao et al.…”