Evolutionary Genomics Provides Insights Into Endangerment and Conservation of a Wild Apple Tree Species, <i>Malus sieversii</i>.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the evolutionary history of a species is essential for effective conservation management. Malus sieversii, a relict broad-leaf forest tree found in arid Central Asian mountains, has a narrow and fragmented distribution and is classified as an endangered species in China. This species is considered one of the ancestors of the domesticated apple trees. In the present study, we sampled five populations of M. sieversii and its wide-ranging congener M. baccata from China. Through deep whole-genome resequencing, we analyzed the population's genetic diversity, genetic structure, demographic history, fixation of deleterious mutations, and genomic divergence. Our results revealed that M. baccata exhibits a higher level of genetic diversity than M. siever

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11616530 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature