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Genetic diversity and population structure of Tunisian wild Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.): Assessment by ISSR molecular markers and implication for conservation

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A Correction to this article was published on 02 July 2022

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Abstract

Background

In Tunisia, Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.) populations are severely destroyed due to deforestation. Nowadays, no preservation programs are attempted, yet, to conserve and promote the potential value of this resource. In this work, we assessed the genetic diversity of seven natural Tunisian populations of Q. coccifera from different bioclimates using Inter-Simple Sequence Repeats molecular markers. The distribution of the genetic diversity of Q. coccifera constitutes the pioneer step in the process of the conservation of the species.

Methods and Results

Nine selected ISSR markers were analyzed to characterize the genetic profiles of 70 different genotypes. The ISSR primers produced 64 loci ranging from 6 (UBC809 and UBC810) to 9 (UBC873) with an average of 7.11 at the species level. The average percentage of the polymorphic loci varied from 64.06% (Tabarka) to 76.56% (El Haouaria). The analyzed genotypes (70 individuals) revealed a high level of genetic diversity at species level (Na = 1.697; Ne = 1.517; He = 0.289; I = 0.418). The major proportion of the variation was attributable to individual differences within populations (76.07%). Analysis of molecular variance revealed also significant differentiation among all populations (ΦST = 0.245) and among populations within bioclimates (ΦSC = 0.233), even at a low scale space. The UPGMA and the PCoA analyses showed that most populations clustered independently to bioclimate or geographical distance indicating that genetic differentiation mainly occurs at local space scale due to genetic drift.

Conclusions

The in-situ conservation of the species should be maintained on natural populations as a forest genetic resources. Moreover, ex-situ conservation should involve the selection of genotypes with extensive collection of seeds and cuttings from different populations of the target area.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by a grant of the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology and the National Institute of Applied Science and Technology (Research grant UR 17ES22). We wish to express our thanks to the Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, National Gene Bank of Tunisia (NGBT).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Nanobiotechnology and Valorisation of Medicinal Phytoresources, Department of Biology, National Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, Carthage University, Tunis Cedex, B.P. 676, 1080, Tunis Cedex, Tunisia

    Jihène Flihi, Awatef Rhimi, Islem Yangui, Chokri Messaoud & Imen Ben ElHadj Ali

  2. Laboratory of Plant Biotechnology, National Gene Bank of Tunisia (NGBT), Boulevard of Leader Yasser Arafat, ZI Charguia 1, 1080, Tunis Cedex, Tunisia

    Awatef Rhimi

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  1. Jihène Flihi
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Correspondence to Imen Ben ElHadj Ali.

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Flihi, J., Rhimi, A., Yangui, I. et al. Genetic diversity and population structure of Tunisian wild Kermes oak (Quercus coccifera L.): Assessment by ISSR molecular markers and implication for conservation. Mol Biol Rep 49, 6215–6224 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07417-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07417-x

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