Genetic variation and clonal diversity of Bromus ircutensis Kom. in the Otingdag sandy land detected by ISSR markers

Genetic variation and clonal diversity of nine populations of Bromus ircutensis Kom. from the Otingdag sandy land were investigated using Inter Simple Sequence Repeat (ISSR) markers. A total of 102 bands were amplified by using II ISSR primers chosen for the study. Among those 99% were polymorphic indicating high level of genetic variation at the species level with a mean genetic diversity (H) of 0.292 and Shannon information index (1) of 0.450. Percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) of nine populations was 76.48% on average, which provides more evidence of considerable genetic variation at the population level. AMOVA analysis revealed that total genetic variation was higher within populations (87.06%) than between populations (12.94%), which is mainly the result of the extensive gene flow (Nm = 1.682) among B. ircutensis populations. UPGMA cluster analysis divided the nine populations into two groups. There was significant or moderate negative correlations between genetic diversity parameters (PPL, H, 1) and longitude or latitude. Mantel test also showed a significant correlation between geographical distance and genetic distance (r = 0.681, p = 0.002). Our findings indicated that distribution of B. ircutensis populations was influenced by geographical and ecological factors. Clonal diversity was also high with 108 individuals identified by 11 ISSR primers being all of different genets. Our results provide a molecular basis for sustainable management and conservation ofB. ircutensis in the study area.