Human Activity Changed the Genetic Pattern of the Orchid <i>Phaius flavus</i> Population
Cuiyi Liang,
Jun Li,
Shixing Li,
Huayuan Zhang,
Jiahao Zheng,
Jianglin Miao,
Siyuan Hao,
Shasha Wu,
Zhongjian Liu,
Junwen Zhai
Affiliations
Cuiyi Liang
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jun Li
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Shixing Li
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Huayuan Zhang
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jiahao Zheng
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jianglin Miao
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Siyuan Hao
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Shasha Wu
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Zhongjian Liu
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Junwen Zhai
Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, College of Landscape Architecture and Art, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Human activity often has profound effects on plant growth and evolution. Orchids are the most diverse group of flowering plants and are threatened by habitat fragmentation, over-harvesting, and urbanization. A population of Phaius flavus from Beikengding Mount (BM) in the Fujian Province of China was divided into two patches by road construction. This study evaluated its genetic characteristics using restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) data, more than seven years post-road construction. The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of road construction on the evolution of isolated patches within a population. The analysis revealed that the genetic diversity of patch B was slightly higher than that of patch A in the BM population of P. flavus. Principal component and phylogenetic analyses, genetic structure and genetic differentiation analysis, and bottleneck detection indicated relatively independent genetic differentiation between the two patches. Thus, the construction of the Y013 village road may have influenced different patches of this population on a genetic level. This study provides a case for understanding the impact of specific human activities on plant populations, and then biodiversity conservation. It is conducive to formulating more effective biological protection strategies to mitigate the damage inflicted by human activities on biodiversity.
