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Clonal and genetic structure of Iris odaesanensis and Iris rossii (Iridaceae): insights of the Baekdudaegan Mountains as a glacial refugium for boreal and temperate plants

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Abstract

The main Korean mountain range that stretches from north to south (the Baekdudaegan) has been suggested to harbor an important glacial refugium for boreal and temperate plant species. Under this scenario, we expect high levels of within-population genetic variation and low or moderate degree of among-population differentiation within these species. To test this hypothesis, we examined clonal diversity and levels of allozyme diversity in the boreal Iris odaesanensis and in its temperate congener Iris rossii. In addition, we compiled data on boreal and temperate species whose distribution in the Korean Peninsula is mostly centered in the Baekdudaegan to determine if there is a common pattern. We found lower clonal diversity in I. odaesanensis compared to I. rossii. Both studied species maintained high levels of genetic variation as well as a moderate genetic differentiation (%P = 52.5 and 47.5, A = 1.70 and 1.58, H e = 0.158 and 0.150, and F ST = 0.196 and 0.189 for I. odaesanensis and I. rossii, respectively), in line with what occurs for the species distributed on the Baekdudaegan (n = 14, %P = 46.7, A = 1.73, H e = 0.161, and F ST = 0.190). This study strongly suggests that the Baekdudaegan may have acted as a refugium for boreal and temperate species, in a similar way to the southern Appalachians in the eastern United States.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Beom Jin Shim and Myeong Soon Park for laboratory assistance, and Dr. Yeon Bong Gu for helping us in locating populations of I. odaesanensis. This research was supported in part by the National Institute of Biological Resources, Republic of Korea to M.G. C. and Basic Science Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2013R1A1A3010892) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, the Republic of Korea to M.Y.C.

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  1. Jordi López-Pujol

    Present address: BioC-GReB, Botanic Institute of Barcelona (IBB-CSIC-ICUB), 08038, Barcelona, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology Education, Seowon University, Cheongju, 361-742, Republic of Korea

    Mi Y. Chung

  2. BioC-GReB, Laboratori de Botànica Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain

    Jordi López-Pujol

  3. Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon, 487-821, Republic of Korea

    You M. Lee

  4. Division of Forest Biodiversity, Korea National Arboretum, Pocheon, 487-821, Republic of Korea

    Seung H. Oh

  5. Department of Biology and the Research Institute of Natural Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, 660-701, Republic of Korea

    Myong G. Chung

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Chung, M.Y., López-Pujol, J., Lee, Y.M. et al. Clonal and genetic structure of Iris odaesanensis and Iris rossii (Iridaceae): insights of the Baekdudaegan Mountains as a glacial refugium for boreal and temperate plants. Plant Syst Evol 301, 1397–1409 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-014-1168-8

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