Abstract:

Siberian apricot(Prunus sibirica), an important ecological and economic tree species endemic to Asia, is widely distributed in the mountain area of North and Northeast of China. To evaluate the genetic diversity and genetic differentiation, 17 populations of Siberian apricot sampled in the core distribution area of the Yan Mountains were investigated by using nine microsatellite markers. A total of 203 alleles were identified in 533 individuals, with a mean of 22.556 alleles per locus. Effective number of alleles per locus (N_e) was 5.714, percentage of polymorphism loci (PPL) was 100%, the mean expected heterozygosity (H_e) was 0.788, suggesting a high genetic diversity in the natural populations of Siberian apricot. The highest genetic diversity was found in Badaling population, the second was Yushulinzi population, while the lowest was found in Yimatu population. The population genetic differentiation (F_ST) was 0.065 and gene flow (N_m) was 3.836. AMOVA analysis showed that genetic variation within the populations accounted for 95.62% of the total. Mantel test revealed that genetic distance were positively correlated (r=0.589 4,P<0.000 1) with geographic distance. The UPGMA cluster analysis showed that neighboring populations clustered into the same clade, which was consistent with results of Mantel test. Based on the present results, sampling strategy of Siberian apricot for further investigation was suggested. The present study provided a scientific basis for the conservation and utilization of Siberian apricot.

Key words: Siberian apricot (Prunus sibirica), microsatellite, genetic diversity, population structure