Department of Forestry, Forest Biotechnology Group, Box 7247, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695 USA;
Am J Bot. 2000 Jun;87(6):774-82.
Development of conservation strategies for Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) in the southern Appalachian Mountains depends in part on recognition of the extent to which Fraser fir is genetically distinct from the closely related balsam (A. balsamea) and intermediate (A. balsamea var. phanerolepis) fir. These sibling species have exhibited intergrading, clinal variation in morphological, chemical, and genetic characteristics in prior research. Chloroplast microsatellite markers were polymerase chain reaction amplified from genomic DNA samples of 78 individuals representing the geographic ranges of Fraser, balsam, and intermediate fir. Gene diversity levels at two loci ranged among taxa from 0.65 to 0.84. Allele frequencies demonstrated significant differentiation among taxa, with R(ST) values of 0.36 and 0.10. Haplotype diversity and D(SH) were highest for balsam fir and lowest for intermediate fir. A haplotype network analysis based on allele size distribution for the two loci revealed two distinct clusters of haplotypes and population-specific haplotypes. Ninety-two percent of the haplotypes in one cluster were from balsam fir and intermediate fir, and 84% of the haplotypes in the other cluster were from Fraser fir and intermediate fir. The genetic differentiation of chloroplast DNA markers provides justification for the recognition of Fraser fir as a distinct Management Unit (MU) for conservation purposes, regardless of its taxonomic classification.
制定弗雷泽冷杉（Abies fraseri）在阿巴拉契亚山脉南部的保护策略部分取决于认识到弗雷泽冷杉在遗传上与密切相关的香脂冷杉（A. balsamea）和中间冷杉（A. balsamea var. phanerolepis）有多大程度的不同。在先前的研究中，这些姐妹物种在形态、化学和遗传特征上表现出了渐渗、渐变的变化。从代表弗雷泽冷杉、香脂冷杉和中间冷杉地理范围的 78 个个体的基因组 DNA 样本中，扩增了叶绿体微卫星标记。在两个基因座上，基因多样性水平在分类群中从 0.65 到 0.84 不等。等位基因频率在分类群之间表现出显著分化，R(ST) 值为 0.36 和 0.10。香脂冷杉的单倍型多样性和 D(SH)最高，中间冷杉最低。基于两个基因座的等位基因大小分布的单倍型网络分析揭示了两个不同的单倍型簇和种群特异性单倍型。一个簇中的 92%的单倍型来自香脂冷杉和中间冷杉，另一个簇中的 84%的单倍型来自弗雷泽冷杉和中间冷杉。叶绿体 DNA 标记的遗传分化证明了将弗雷泽冷杉作为一个独特的管理单元（MU）进行保护的合理性，无论其分类学分类如何。
