Comparison of genetic diversity in the two arctic-alpine plants Diapensia lapponica var. obovata (Diapensiaceae) and Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum (Empetraceae) between Sakhalin in Russian Far East and Jeju Island in Korea, the southernmost edge of their distribution range

Mi Yoon Chung, Jordi López-Pujol, Myung Ok Moon, Jae Min Chung, Chan Soo Kim, Byung Yun Sun, Ki Joong Kim, Myong Gi Chung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We compared allozyme variation in the two arctic-alpine plants Diapensia lapponica var. obovata and Empetrum nigrum var. japonicum between Sakhalin Island in Russian Far East, within their range core, and the Korean island of Jeju, their world's southernmost distribution. For D. lapponica var. obovata, Sakhalin populations harbored moderate levels of within-population genetic variation and low among-population divergence, whereas extremely low levels of within-population genetic diversity and high among-population differentiation were found in Jeju Island populations. In contrast, we found moderate levels of within-population variation and low among-population differentiation in E. nigrum var. japonicum in both northern populations (those of Sakhalin and an additional population from northern Japan) and Jeju Island populations. Under a similar scenario of immigration history of arctic-alpine plants on Jeju Island during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene and local persistence through glacial/interglacial cycles, the contrasting genetic structure between D. lapponica var. obovata and E. nigrum var. japonicum is mainly attributable to their different life-history, ecological, and demographic traits: (1) hermaphroditic versus monoecious, dioecious or polygamous, (2) seeds with no adaptations for long-distance dispersal versus berry-like drupes dispersed by animals and birds, and (3) a very small patch near the peak of Mt. Halla with a few hundred individuals versus a relatively continuous distribution around the peak of Mt. Halla with numerous individuals. From a conservation perspective, in situ and ex situ conservation measures should be strengthened for D. lapponica var. obovata on Jeju Island given their extreme rarity there.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)159-172
Number of pages14
JournalPopulation Ecology
Volume55
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2013 Jan

Keywords

  • Allozymes
  • Conservation
  • Demography
  • Ecological traits
  • Genetic diversity
  • Life-history traits

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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