Thongkumkoon Patcharawadee, Kampuansai Jatupol, Dansawan Maneesawan, Tiansawat Pimonrat, Noirungsee Nuttapol, Punchay Kittiyut, Khamyong Nuttaluck, Wangpakapattanawong Prasit
Center of Multidisciplinary Technology for Advanced Medicine (CMUTEAM), Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand.
Plants (Basel). 2025 Jul 26;14(15):2306. doi: 10.3390/plants14152306.
This study investigates the genetic diversity and population structure of , a vital tree species in Asian forest ecosystems. Understanding the genetic patterns of keystone forest species provides critical insights into forest resilience and ecosystem function and informs conservation strategies. We analyzed population samples collected from three distinct locations within Doi Suthep Mountain in northern Thailand using Short Tandem Repeat (STR) markers to assess both intra- and inter-population genetic relationships. DNA was extracted from leaf samples and analyzed using a panel of polymorphic microsatellite loci specifically optimized for species. Statistical analyses included the assessment of forensic parameters (number of alleles, observed and expected heterozygosity, gene diversity, polymorphic information content), population differentiation metrics (G), inbreeding coefficients (F), and gene flow estimates (N). We further examined population history through bottleneck analysis using three models (IAM, SMM, and TPM) and visualized genetic relationships through principal coordinate analysis and cluster analysis. Our results revealed significant patterns of genetic structuring across the sampled populations, with genetic distance metrics showing statistically significant differentiation between certain population pairs. The PCA and cluster analyses confirmed distinct population groupings that correspond to geographic distribution patterns. These findings provide the first comprehensive assessment of population genetics in this region, establishing baseline data for monitoring genetic diversity and informing conservation strategies. This research contributes to our understanding of how landscape features and ecological factors shape genetic diversity patterns in essential forest tree species, with implications for managing forest genetic resources in the face of environmental change.
本研究调查了亚洲森林生态系统中的一种重要树种的遗传多样性和种群结构。了解关键森林物种的遗传模式可为森林恢复力和生态系统功能提供关键见解，并为保护策略提供依据。我们使用短串联重复（STR）标记分析了从泰国北部素贴山三个不同地点采集的种群样本，以评估种群内和种群间的遗传关系。从叶片样本中提取DNA，并使用一组专门为该物种优化的多态微卫星位点进行分析。统计分析包括法医参数（等位基因数量、观察到的和预期的杂合度、基因多样性、多态信息含量）、种群分化指标（G）、近亲繁殖系数（F）和基因流估计（N）的评估。我们还通过使用三种模型（IAM、SMM和TPM）的瓶颈分析来研究种群历史，并通过主坐标分析和聚类分析来可视化遗传关系。我们的结果揭示了采样种群中显著的遗传结构模式，遗传距离指标显示某些种群对之间存在统计学上的显著差异。主成分分析和聚类分析证实了与地理分布模式相对应的不同种群分组。这些发现首次对该地区该树种的种群遗传学进行了全面评估，建立了监测遗传多样性的基线数据，并为保护策略提供了依据。这项研究有助于我们理解景观特征和生态因素如何塑造重要森林树种的遗传多样性模式，对面对环境变化时管理森林遗传资源具有重要意义。
