Molecular Plant Breeding 2015, Vol.6, No.19, 1
-
7
1
Research Report
Open
Access
Population genetic structure and genetic diversity in
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
L. (Lamiaceae) populations in Iran
Koohdar F.
1
, Sheidai M.
1,
, Attar F.
2
, Talebi Seyed-Mehdi
3
1.Faculty of Biological Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2.Central Herbarium of University of Tehran, School of Biology, University College of Science, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 14155-6455, Tehran, Iran
3.Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Arak University, Arak, Iran
Corresponding
authors
email:
Molecular
Plant
Breeding,
2015,
Vol.6,
No.19
doi:
10.5376/mpb.2015.06.0019
Received:
10
Aug.,
2015
Accepted:
14
Oct.,
2015
Published:
29
Oct.,
2015
Koohdar
© 2015
Shah Kevalkumar et al.,
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Preferred
citation
for
this
article:
Koohdar F., Sheidai M., Attar F., Talebi Seyed-Mehdi., 2015,
Population genetic structure and genetic diversity in
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
L. (Lamiaceae)
populations in Iran, Interaction,
Molecular
Plant
Breeding,
6(19):
1
-
7 (doi:
Abstract
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
L. is a medicinal plant that grows in limited areas in Iran and forms few local populations.
We have no information on its genetic diversity and population genetic structure in the country. Therefore, the present population
genetic study was performed to provide data on population genetic structure, potential gene pools and gene flow in
Dracocephalum
thymiflorum
in Iran. The information obtained can be used in conservation of this medicinal plant species. We studied 55 randomly
selected plants from 5 geographical populations by ISSR molecular markers. The studied populations contained high
within-population genetic variability and also revealed strong genetic differentiation by AMOVA test (P = 0.01). Structure analysis
and K-Means clustering revealed population genetic fragmentation that was mainly due to genetic difference between population 2
and the other studied populations. The population assignment test revealed the occurrence of limited gene flow among these
populations. The information obtained can me used in programming the conservation of this important medicinal plant in Iran
.
Keywords
AMOVA;
Dracocephalum thymiflorum;
genetic drift; gene flow; Genetic fragmentation
Introduction
The genus
Dracocephalum
L. (Lamiaceae) contains
about 60-70 species. These species are mostly perennial
herbs, and rarely annual taxa growing in alpine and
semi-dry regions mainly in temperate Asia, with a few
species occurring in Europe, and one species in North
America (Brach and Song, 2006). Eight
Dracocephalum
species have been reported in Iran that grow in north
and central parts of the country (Rechinger, 1982).
These species have medicinal values including anticancer,
antioxidant, anti-hypoxic and immunomodulatory
activities (Zeng et al., 2010).
Population genetics study is an important step in the
way of planning genetic and breeding programs for
crop plants and medicinal plant species. It provides
data on the genetic variability, gene flow versus
population genetic isolation, population genetic
fragmentation, and the role of genetic drift, the
bottleneck and any other evolutionary forces acting on
population divergence (Sheidai et al.
,
2012; 2013).
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
L. grows in limited areas
in Iran and forms a few local populations. We didn’t
have any information available about genetic diversity
and population genetic structure of these medicinal
species in the country. Therefore, the present population
genetic study was performed to provide data on
population genetic structure, potential gene pools and
gene flow in
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
in Iran. The
information obtained can be used in conservation of
this medicinal plant species. Different molecular markers
have been used in population genetics studies. We used
ISSR (Inter-simple sequence repeats) molecular markers,
as they are reproducible, simplified the work and not
expensive (Sheidai et al., 2014).
1 Results
1.1 Genetic diversity analysis
Genetic diversity parameters determined in 5 studied
populations of
Dracocephalum thymiflorum
is are
presented in Table 2. The highest value for He
(0.243), polymorphism percentage (P% = 73.91) and
genetic diversity due to population (Hs = 0.294)
occurred in population 1 (Amol population). The
lowest value for the same parameters (0.120, 47.83,
and 0.195, respectively) occurred in the population
5 (Ramsar population).
