%0 Research article
%T Microsatellite variation of Quercus aquifolioides populations at varying altitudes in the Wolong Natural Reserve of China
%A Zhang, Xuejiang
%A Korpelainen, Helena
%A Li, Chunyang
%D 2006
%J Silva Fennica
%V 40
%N 3
%R doi:10.14214/sf.326
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/326
%X Genetic variation and differentiation were investigated among five  natural populations of Quercus aquifolioides occurring along an  altitudinal gradient that varied from 2000 to 3600 m above sea level in  the Wolong Natural Reserve of China, by analyzing variation at six  microsatellite loci. The results showed that the populations were  characterized by relatively high intra-population variation with the  average number of alleles equaling 11.33 per locus and the average  expected heterozygosity (H<sub>E</sub>) being 0.779. The amount of  genetic variation varied only little among populations, which suggests  that the influence of altitude factors on microsatellite variation is  limited. However, there is a significantly positive correlation between  altitude and the number of low-frequency alleles (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.97,  P &lt; 0.01), which indicates that Q. aquifolioides from high altitudes  has more unique variation, possibly enabling adaptation to severe  conditions. F statistics showed the presence of a slight deficiency of  heterozygosity (F<sub>IS</sub> = 0.136) and a low level of differentiation among populations (F<sub>ST</sub> = 0.066). The result of the cluster analysis demonstrated that the  grouping of populations does not correspond to the altitude of the  populations. Based on the available data, it is likely that the  selective forces related to altitude are not strong enough to  significantly differentiate the populations of Q. aquifolioides in terms  of microsatellite variation.