Genetic diversity of the critically endangered Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen (Apiaceae) and the implications for conservation

Abstract

Research on the genetic diversity and structures of endangered plant species with small population sizes is a prerequisitefor developing reasonable conservation strategies. Ferula sinkiangensis K.M.Shen is a critically endangered herbaceous perennial andmonocarpic medical plant growing in semiarid steppe ecosystems with a small population size within the Yili Valley in Xinjiang, China.Unfortunately, the lack of genetic information has limited our ability to initiate effective conservation strategies for the species. In thisstudy, 14 polymorphic microsatellite primers of F. sinkiangensis were developed and characterized using Illumina HiSeq paired-endreads from genomic DNA. Primers were used to assess the genetic diversity and structure of the species in the Yili Valley. A total of 92alleles were detected across 14 microsatellite loci from 65 specimens of F. sinkiangensis. Moderate to high levels of genetic diversity (He= 0.446, I = 0.821, PPB = 92.86%) were found within the species. Our results contradict the general hypothesis that rare and endangeredspecies with small population sizes and narrow ranges of distribution exhibit low levels of genetic diversity. The moderate to high levelsof genetic diversity within the species can be explained by the mating system, life history traits, and human activities in recent years.Several reasonable conservation and reintroduction strategies are proposed, including maintenance of the plant’s natural habitats, seedsor seedlings collection for germplasm storage, and artificial breeding of the species.