Analysis of the Genetic Diversity of Wild Populations of Haloxylon ammodendron in the Qaidam Basin Based on SSR Markers

To uncover the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Haloxylon ammodendron resources in Qinghai Province and furnish a theoretical underpinning for the development and conservation of this species,this research sampled 132 specimens from Haloxylon ammodendron populations across three representative habitats within the principal distribution zones of the plant in Qinghai. Employing 10 SSR markers,an in-depth analysis of their genetic diversity and genetic structure was conducted. The findings revealed that,on average,the number of alleles,effective number of alleles,and Shannon's information index for the three populations were 3,1.764 and 0.639 correspondingly. This suggested a moderate degree of genetic diversity within Haloxylon ammodendron. Notably,variations in genetic diversity were observed among the three populations,with the DLH population exhibiting the highest level and the DL population the lowest. A significant 93% of the genetic variation was found to occur within the populations,highlighting that internal variation constituted the primary source of genetic diversity. Moreover,the gene flow among the populations was calculated to be 7.344,implying that the relatively robust gene flow exerted a certain restraining influence on genetic differentiation among them. The outcomes of clustering and population genetic structure analysis demonstrated that the 132 tested materials could be segregated into two subgroups,which displayed a certain correlation with their geographical distribution. In summary,this study has preliminarily acquired the horizontal genetic diversity information of Haloxyon ammodendron populations,laying a solid foundation for the screening,exploration,and utilization of outstanding Haloxylon ammodendron resources.