Genetic Differentiation of Rhododendron aureum Georgi at Nuclear Microsatellite Loci
SSR analysis of Rhododendron aureum Georgi in eight populations (63 samples) from Siberia (West and East Sayans) and Kamchatka was performed. Polymorphism of five SSR loci showed a high level of genetic diversity in all the populations (mean values H<sub>o</sub> = 0.667, H<sub>e</sub> = 0.638). The analysis of molecular variation (AMOVA) revealed that about 16% of the genetic diversity of R. aureum occurs in interpopulation differences (F<sub>st</sub> = 0.161, p = 0.001). Bayesian approach in the STRUCTURE program reveal that the species has a heterogeneous genetic structure – samples from Kamchatka form a separate cluster and show high homogeneity, and samples from Western and Eastern Siberia are of mixed origin. The obtained results indicate the prospects of using this type of markers for population-genetic studies of R. aureum.