Genetic diversity and structure of an endangered medicinal herb: implications for conservation.

ABSTRACT: Human-driven habitat fragmentation leads to spatial isolation of endangered plant species increasing extinction risk. Understanding genetic variability and population structure of rare and isolated plant species is of great importance for assessing extinction risk and setting up conservation plans. Aconitum austrokoreense, an endangered and endemic species in Korea, is a perennial herb commonly used for medicinal purposes. We used five nuclear microsatellites and one chloroplast marker to investigate genetic diversity and population structure for 479 individuals of A. austrokoreense from seven populations throughout South Korea. A multivariate approach, discriminant analysis of principal components analysis, revealed broad-scale spatial patterns of A. austrokoreense populations across thre

SUBMITTER: Lee SR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5909456 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature