Genetic diversity of the endangered Chinese endemic herb Dayaoshania cotinifolia (Gesneriaceae) revealed by simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers

Dayaoshania cotinifolia W.T. Wang is a critically endangered perennial herb endemic to southern China. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were employed to assess genetic diversity in two populations of D. cotinifolia. Eight primer pairs generated a total of 36 alleles, with a mean of 4.5 alleles per locus. The expected heterozygosity (He = 0.416) and observed heterozygosity (Ho = 0.508) indicated a moderate level of genetic diversity, though the genetic differentiation between the populations was low (Fst = 0.014), a result that was supported by a higher gene flow (Nm = 18.000). No severe bottleneck effect was detected in the two populations. Thus, the endangered status of this species is most likely due to anthropologic effects rather than a lack of genetic diversity. In situ conservation strategies should be promoted, and the sizes of the populations should be increased through artificial breeding