Genetic And Epigenetic Population Structure Of Gentiana Alpine

Genetic and epigenetic structures refer to the variation patterns of individuals within a species or population. Genetic and epigenetic diversity are the key factors in determining the evolutionary processes of a species. Therefore, these studies will provide us reliable theories to make the protection strategies.In the present study, we assessed the genetic and epigenetic structure of Gentiana alpina by using the amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and methylation sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP) techniques. According to our results, the species G. alpina exhibited high genetic diversity. Its percentage of polymorphic bands is 87.34% and Shannon index is 0.486. Furthermore, the epigenetic analyses indicated that the species G. alpina showed high levels of methylation. It suggested that the genetic and epigenetic structures were influenced by the environmental conditions. However, the results of STRUCTURE and NJ tree revealed that there were no significant correlation between genetic / epigenetic structure and elevation. This phenomenon thought to result from the absence of different environmental stresses.Our results illustrated that the environmental stresses have a profound effect on the genetic and epigenetic structure of G. alpina. These findings provide us opportunities to investigate the conservation genetics of G. alpina.