Molecular techniques in the assessment of genetic relationships between populations of Consolida (Ranunculaceae)

Abstract

Genetic diversity studies are essential to understand the conservation and management of plant resources in any environment. The genus Consolida (DC.) Gray (Ranuculaceae) belongs to tribe Delphinieae. It comprises approximately 52 species, including the members of the genus Aconitella Spach. No detailed Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) studies were conducted to study Consolida genetic diversity. Therefore, we collected and analyzed 19 species from 12 provinces of regions. Overall, one hundred and twenty-seven plant specimens were collected. We showed significant differences in quantitative morphological characters in plant species. Unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean and principal component analysis (PCA) divided Consolida species into two groups. All primers produced polymorphic amplicons though the extent of polymorphism varied with each primer. The primer OPA-06 was found to be most powerful and efficient as it generated a total of 24 bands of which 24 were polymorphic. The Mantel test showed correlation (r = 0.34, p=0.0002) between genetic and geographical distances. We reported high genetic diversity, which clearly shows the Consolida species can adapt to changing environments since high genetic diversity is linked to species adaptability. Present results highlighted the utility of RAPD markers and morphometry methods to investigate genetic diversity in Consolida species. Our aims were 1) to assess genetic diversity among Consolida species 2) is there a correlation between species genetic and geographical distance? 3) Genetic structure of populations and taxa.