Genetic variation in Antarctic populations of the moss Sarconeurum glaciale

Sixty-six isolates of the moss Sarconeurum glaciale were collected from sites in continental Antarctica at Ross Island, southern Victoria Land and the Vestfold Hills. Genetic variation within and among the populations was estimated using isozymes and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technology. Isozyme results only reproducibly showed variation between the populations with one enzyme; RAPDs indicated significantly higher levels of genetic variability within and among the Vestfold Hills samples than in the Ross Sea region samples. A dendrogram produced from the RAPD bands suggested that the Ross Island and southern Victoria Land samples form one population, and those from the Vestfold Hills form a separate and more variable population, possibly resulting from separate colonisation events on the continent. Received: 15 March 1996 / Accepted: 1 May 1997     

采用RAPD和ISSR标记研究古尔班通古特沙漠东南缘梭梭种群的遗传结构

梭梭(Haloxylon ammodendron(CA Mey.)Bunge)是一种沙漠旱生优势树种,具有重要的生态和经济价值,然而,我们对梭梭种群的遗传多样性和遗传结构所知甚少.本文采用RAPD和ISSR标记对来自古尔班通古特沙漠东南缘的4个天然梭梭种群的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行了检测.5个RAPD引物和8个ISSR引物分别扩增出61和195条带,多态性位点比率分别为83.6%和89.7%,Shannon信息指数分别为0.333和0.367,RAPD和ISSR分析均表明梭梭种群的遗传多样性水平较高.利用分子方差分析(AMOVA)研究梭梭种群的遗传结构,结果表明,大部分遗传变异存在于种群内,通过RAPD分析发现138.2%的遗传变异发生在种群内;通过ISSR分析发现89.4%的遗传变异发生在种群内;而种群间的遗传分化很小.通过RAPD标记没有检测到种群间的遗传分化,ISSR分析表明10.6%的遗传变异发生在种群内.我们推测梭梭种群较高的遗传多样性水平可能源于对异质、高胁迫环境的长期适应,但还需要进一步的研究加以证实.种群间遗传分异低的主要原因是种群间存在强大的基因流.     

Specific genetic markers for wheat, spelt, and four wild relatives: comparison of isozymes, RAPDs, and wheat microsatellites.

Three types of markers-isozymes, RAPDs (random amplified polymorphic DNAs), and wheat microsatellites- were tested on wheat, spelt, and four wild wheat relatives (Aegilops cylindrica, Elymus caninus, Hordeum marinum, and Agropyron junceum). The aim was to evaluate their capability to provide specific markers for differentiation of the cultivated and wild species. The markers were set up for subsequent detection of hybrids and introgression of wheat DNA into wild relatives. All markers allowed differentiation of the cultivated from the wild species. Wheat microsatellites were not amplified in all the wild relatives, whereas RAPDs and isozymes exhibited polymorphism for all species. The dendrograms obtained with RAPD and isozyme data separated Swiss wheat cultivars from those collected in Austria and England, while no difference was found between Swiss spelt and wheat. RAPD data provided a weak discrimination between English and Austrian E. caninus. The microsatellite-based dendrogram discriminated populations of Ae. cylindrica, but no clear separation of H. marinum from E. caninus was revealed. The similarity matrices based on the three different sets of data were strongly correlated. The highest value was recorded between the matrices based on RAPDs and isozymes (Mantel's test, r = 0.93). Correlations between the similarity matrix based on microsatellites and matrices based on RAPDs and isozymes were lower: 0.74 and 0.68, respectively. While microsatellites are very useful for comparisons of closely related accessions, they are less suitable for studies involving less-related taxa. Isozymes provide interesting markers for species differentiation, but their use seems less appropriate for studies of within-species genetic variation. RAPDs can produce a large set of markers, which can be used for the evaluation of both between- and within-species genetic variation, more rapidly and easily than isozymes and microsatellites.     

Isozyme and PCR-based genotyping of epidemic Phytophthora colocasiae associated with taro leaf blight

The Oomycetous fungus Phytophthora colocasiae causing leaf blight of taro is widely distributed in India. Wide geographic range or sexual recombination provides genetic differentiation within this species. To determine how genetic variation is partitioned in P. colocasiae, 14 isolates were isolated from different regions of India, where the incidence of leaf blight is great. Molecular and biochemical techniques were employed for assessing and exploiting the genetic variability among isolates of P. colocasiae. Seven polymorphic enzyme systems revealed 23 isozyme patterns, each uniquely characterised by the presence or absence of electromorphs. Further, 10 oligodeoxynucleotide primers were selected for random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assays, which resulted in 123 polymorphic bands for 10 isolates of P. colocasiae. The data were entered into a binary matrix and a similarity matrix was constructed using a DICE similarity (SD) index. A UPGMA cluster based on SD values was generated using a NTSYS computer program. Shannon's index was used to partition genetic diversity. Similarly, isozymes and RAPDs yielded high estimates of genetic variability. Genetic diversity estimates via isozyme and RAPD pattern indicated 78.26% and 100%, respectively, total diversity among populations. This type of genetic variation in P. colocasiae indicates that variation due to asexual and/or possibly infrequent sexual mechanisms is possible and that genetic differentiation has taken place as a result of geographic isolation. The presence of larger than expected RAPD variation in isolates of P. colocasiae and the presence of distinct different zymotypes among these isolates suggests that genetic recombination (or less likely hybridisation) is at least possible in this fungus and that geographic differentiation has taken place. Even isolates obtained from the same habitat have different RAPD patterns, indicating that many populations of this fungus are made up of more than one genet and that few are derived clonally.     

RAPD Profiling in Detecting Genetic Variation in Endemic Coelonema (Brassicaceae) of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau of China

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to measure genetic diversity of Coelonema draboides (Brassicaceae), a genus endemic to the Qilian Mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. We sampled 90 individuals in 30 populations of Coelonema draboides from Datong and Huzhu counties of Qinghai Province in P.R. China. A total of 186 amplified bands were scored from the 14 RAPD primers, with a mean of 13.3 amplified bands per primer, and 87% (161 bands) polymorphic bands (PPB) was found. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) shows that a large proportion of genetic variation (84.2%) resides among individuals within populations, while only 15.8% resides among populations. The species shows higher genetic diversity between individuals than other endemic and endangered plants. The RAPDs provide a useful tool for assessing genetic diversity of rare, endemic species and for resolving relationships among populations. The results show that the genetic diversity of this species is high, possibly allowing it to adapt more easily to environmental variations. The main factor responsible for the high level of differentiation within populations and the low level of diversity among populations is probably the outcrossing and long-lived nature of this species. Some long-distance dispersal, even among far separated populations, is also a crucial determinant for the pattern of genetic variation in the species. This distributive pattern of genetic variation of C. draboides populations provides important baseline data for conservation and collection strategies for the species. It is suggested that only populations in different habitats should be studied and protected, not all populations, so as to retain as much genetic diversity as possible.     

Genetic structure of an endangered plant, Antirrhinum microphyllum (Scrophulariaceae): allozyme and RAPD analysis

Thirteen allozyme loci and 68 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were analyzed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of threatened Antirrhinum microphyllum (Scrophulariaceae), a narrow endemic of central Spain known from only four populations. According to allozyme data, species genetic diversity (p = 46.15%, A = 2.61, and H(e) = 0.218), as well as within-population genetic diversity (p = 44.23%, A = 2.10, and H(e) = 0.204), were high when compared to average estimates for other narrowly distributed plant species. Ninety-four percent of species genetic diversity corresponded to within-population genetic diversity. Nevertheless, significant differences were found among populations in allele frequencies of four of the six polymorphic loci, and three private alleles were detected. Inbreeding coefficients (F(IS)) suggest that populations are structured in genetic neighborhoods. The RAPDs also showed high levels of genetic diversity (p = 89.71% and H(e) = 0.188 at the species level, and p = 67.65% and H(e) = 0.171 at the population level). Nei's genetic distances estimated both from allozymes and RAPDs indicated low differentiation among populations. In spite of this, the low frequencies of certain alleles and the presence of private alleles indicate that efforts should be made to conserve all four remaining populations.     

Molecular phylogeny of mangroves. VI. Intraspecific genetic variation in mangrove species Excoecaria agallocha L. (Euphorbiaceae).

Genomic DNA from 84 individuals of Excoecaria agallocha from seven mangrove populations were analysed for random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) using 16 random 10-mer primers. Polymorphism within populations varied from 20% to 31%. At the interpopulation level, 111/149 (74%) of RAPDs were polymorphic. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of 21 individuals (3 individuals randomly selected from the 7 populations) using 30 probe-enzyme combinations revealed a high level of interpopulation polymorphism (62.2%) indicating interpopulation genetic divergence. The polymorphic RAPDs and RFLPs were pooled, and clustering was carried out based on mean similarity for individual populations. The dendrogram showed groupings of populations from the West and East Coasts of India into separate clusters, at 60% similarity level. Further, RAPD and RFLP analysis of male and female plants showed approximately the same level of variation in both sexes, and no sex-linked markers were found. These results demonstrate that considerable intrapopulation and interpopulation genetic variations exist in E. agallocha, and that lack of genetic variation is not the reason for the morphological uniformity observed across the range of the species.     

Genetic diversity in Elymus caninus as revealed by isozyme, RAPD, and microsatellite markers.

Genetic diversity of 33 Elymus caninus accessions was investigated using isozyme, RAPD, and microsatellite markers. The three assays differed in the amount of polymorphism detected. Microsatellites detected the highest polymorphism. Six microsatellite primer pairs generated a total of 74 polymorphic bands (alleles), with an average of 15.7 bands per primer pair. Three genetic similarity matrices were estimated based on band presence or absence. Genetic diversity trees (dendrograms) were derived from each marker technique, and compared using Mantel's test. The correlation coefficients were 0.204, 0.267, and 0.164 between isozyme and RAPD distance matrices, RAPD and microsatellite distance matrices, and between isozyme and microsatellite distance matrices, respectively. The three methodologies gave differing views of the amount of variation present but all showed a high level of genetic variation in E. caninus. The following points may be drawn from this study whether based on RAPD, microsatellite, or isozyme data: (i) The Icelandic populations are consistently revealed by the three dendrograms. The congruence of the discrimination of this accession group by RAPD, microsatellite, and isozyme markers suggests that geographic isolation strongly influenced the evolution of the populations; (ii) The degree of genetic variation within accessions was notably great; and (iii) The DNA-based markers will be the more useful ones in detecting genetic diversity in closely related accessions. In addition, a dendrogram, which took into account all fragments produced by isozymes, RAPDs, and microsatellites, reflected better the relationships than did dendrograms based on only one type of marker.     

Genetic differentiation in Thai populations of the rare species Afgekia sericea Craib (Leguminosae) revealed by RAPDPCR assays

Genetic diversity within and among populations was investigated using RAPD-PCR assays in a rare species, Afgekia sericea Craib. Two hundred and sixty-nine individuals were sampled from nine geographically isolated populations from northeastern Thailand. This study includes 73 RAPD markers. Within population polymorphism as measured by percentage of polymorphic RAPDs, varied between 38.4% and 60.3%. Genetic variability was measured using Shannon's information index and partitioned into between- and within-population components. Overall, genetic variation among A. sericea populations was high (H_sp-H_pop)/H_sp=48.2%. The genetic diversity for the species (H_sp) was 43.2%. Mean of within-population values (H_pop) for all populations was 0.224. The total genetic diversity was explained by high variation among populations (mean Gst=0.426), which is consistent with low gene flow among populations (Nm=0.35). High between-population genetic variation observed in this study could be explained by limited migration through seed and/or pollen dispersal among populations. Conservation strategies of A. sericea are discussed in the context of these results. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

羊草种群遗传分化的RAPD分析Ⅱ.RAPD数据的统计分析

对松嫩草原上分布的灰绿型和黄绿型羊草9个种群进行了15个引物的RAPD分析,统计结果表明,两类种群的扩增片段数和多态位点比率明显不同,黄绿型种群低于灰绿型,其值分别＜90与＞100,＜50％与＞70％,比较了7种不同统计方法据RAPD表型或基因型频率估算的种群遗传多样性,几种统计结果都揭示,黄绿型种群低于灰绿型种群,用F1s值矫正种群对Hardy-Weinberg平衡的偏离后,估算等位基因频率,通过Shannon指数和Nei指数估计羊草种群间分化分别为37．6％和35．7％,高于等位酶的分析,讨论比较了等位酶和RAPD分析结果的异同。     

Comparison of RAPD and ISSR markers for assessment of genetic diversity among endangered rare Dalbergia oliveri (Fabaceae) genotypes in Vietnam

Dalbergia oliveri is a leguminous tree of the Fabaceae family. This species is popular and valuable in Vietnam and is currently listed on the Vietnam Red List and on the IUCN Red List as endangered. Two PCR techniques using RAPD and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers were used to make a comparative analysis of genetic diversity in this species. Fifty-six polymorphic primers (29 RAPD and 27 ISSR) were used. The RAPD primers produced 63 bands across 35 genotypes, of which 24 were polymorphic. The number of amplified bands varied from one to four, with a size range from 250 to 1400 bp. The percentage polymorphism ranged from 0 to 75. Amplification of genomic DNA of the 35 genotypes, using ISSR analysis, yielded 104 fragments, of which 63 were polymorphic. The number of amplified fragments using ISSR primers ranged from one to nine and varied in size from 250 to 1500 bp. The percentage polymorphism ranged from 0 to 100. ISSR markers were relatively more efficient than RAPDs. The mental test between two Jaccard's similarity matrices gave r ≥0.802, showing good fit correlation between ISSRs and RAPDs. Clustering of isolates remained more or less the same for RAPDs compared to combined RAPD and ISSR data. The similarity coefficient ranged from 0.785 to 1.000, 0.698 to 0.956 and 0.752 to 0.964 with RAPD, ISSR, and the combined RAPD-ISSR dendrogram, respectively.     

RAPD polymorphism of wild emmer wheat populations, Triticum dicoccoides, in Israel

 Genetic diversity in random amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) was studied in 110 genotypes of the tetraploid wild progenitor of wheat, Triticum dicoccoides, from 11 populations sampled in Israel and Turkey. Our results show high level of diversity of RAPD markers in wild wheat populations in Israel. The ten primers used in this study amplified 59 scorable RAPD loci of which 48 (81.4%) were polymorphic and 11 monomorphic. RAPD analysis was found to be highly effective in distinguishing genotypes of T. dicoccoides originating from diverse ecogeographical sites in Israel and Turkey, with 95.5% of the 100 genotypes correctly classified into sites of origin by discriminant analysis based on RAPD genotyping. However, interpopulation genetic distances showed no association with geographic distance between the population sites of origin, negating a simple isolation by distance model. Spatial autocorrelation of RAPD frequencies suggests that migration is not influential. Our present RAPD results are non-random and in agreement with the previously obtained allozyme patterns, although the genetic diversity values obtained with RAPDs are much higher than the allozyme values. Significant correlates of RAPD markers with various climatic and soil factors suggest that, as in the case of allozymes, natural selection causes adaptive RAPD ecogeographical differentiation. The results obtained suggest that RAPD markers are useful for the estimation of genetic diversity in wild material of T. dicoccoides and the identification of suitable parents for the development of mapping populations for the tagging of agronomically important traits derived from T. dicoccoides. Received: 13 July 1998 / Accepted: 13 August 1998     

Genetic Diversity and Population Differentiation of Liaoning Weedy Rice Detected by RAPD and SSR Markers

Weedy rice refers to populations of usually annual Oryza species that diminish farmer income through reduction of grain yield and lowered commodity value at harvest. The genetic diversity and population genetic structure of weedy rice in Liaoning Province were studied by RAPD and SSR markers. The results indicate that the level of genetic diversity of Liaoning weedy rice is very low, with polymorphic loci being only 3.70% (RAPDs) and 47.62% (SSRs). On the other hand, high genetic differentiation was found among populations, in particular between two regions (Shenyang and Dandong), with Fst values of 0.746 (RAPDs) and 0.656 (SSRs), suggesting that more than two thirds of the genetic variation resides among regions. Combined with our investigations of cultural traditions, the low level of genetic diversity in Liaoning Province is attributed to its narrow genetic background enhanced by exchanges of cultivar seeds, whereas the high genetic differentiation between the two regions is most likely the result of different founding parents and gene flow from local rice varieties to weedy rice. The rice cultivars in the two regions are all local varieties and are different genetically. A comparison of the two marker systems demonstrates that SSR is more informative and powerful in terms of the assessment of genetic variability, although both RAPD and SSR provide useful genetic information on weedy rice.     

Assessment of genetic diversity in Calamus thwaitesii BECC. (Arecaceae) using RAPD markers

Calamus thwaitesii Becc. is a potentially useful rattan found in the Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka. The wild stock of this rattan species is greatly diminished due to overexploitation for the furniture industry and increasingly rare. Genetic diversity was estimated in 80 samples representing eight populations from the Western Ghats and Sri Lanka using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. RAPDs generated a total of 120 markers with 10 decamer primers, of which 85% were found to be polymorphic. The percentage of polymorphic loci varied from 40.00 to 60.83 and genetic distance between populations ranged from 0.0332 to 0.2777. Among the analysed populations, Goa was found to be genetically superior followed by Achenkovil, Sinharaja and Talakkaveri. Majority of the genetic diversity was distributed within populations (70.79%) and only (29.21%) among populations. Genetic relationships estimated by the unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic averaging (UPGMA) cluster analysis and principal co-ordinate analysis failed to separate Indian and Sri Lankan populations geographically into two distinct groups.     

珍稀药用植物红根草野生及离体快繁群体的遗传多样性

红根草是一个有重要药用价值的珍稀濒危药材植物。为了更好地了解红根草野生和组培快繁种质的遗传多样性信息,本文用RAPD和ISSR分子标记技术,对红根草4个野生种群及一个离体快繁群体进行遗传多样性分析,为物种保护和繁育提供理论依据。结果显示,在物种水平上,该物种的遗传多样性水平中等,Nei基因多样性指数（H）、Shannon信息多样性指数（I）和多态性位点百分率（PPL）分别为0.237/0.248（RAPD/ISSR,下同）、0.365/0.380和78.4%/81.1%;遗传变异大多数（70.5%/81.5%）发生在种群内、少部分（29.5%/18.5%）发生在种群间;野生种群的基因流为1.21/2.20,但UPGMA聚类分析结果表明,距离35km以上的种群遗传分化明显,因此推测基因流动主要存在于种群内,地理距离是种群分化的主要原因。在居群水平上,H、I和PPL三项遗传多样性参数分别为0.167/0.202、0.253/0.303和51.7%/58.0%;离体快繁群体的RAPD分析结果显示,其遗传多样性高于其原野生种群,这一结果暗示,离体快繁过程中可能发生了体细胞变异,这些变异与RAPD-PCR区域有关。     

Population genetic structure in the dioecious pioneer plant species Hippophae rhamnoides investigated by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers

Hippophae rhamnoides is an outcrossing pioneer plant species with a severely fragmented distribution. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) marker variation was analysed in 10 populations of ssp. rhamnoides and in one population of ssp. mongolica to estimate the amount and distribution of genetic variability. No less than 89.7% of the scorable markers were polymorphic, but few of these were fixed and populations consequently differed mainly by frequency variation of individual markers. Within-population gene diversity was somewhat low for an outcrossing plant species: 0.192 or 0.159 for ssp. rhamnoides , depending on whether it was based on all 156 polymorphic RAPDs or on only those 63 RAPDs that fulfilled the 3/ N criterion. Analysis of molecular variance applied to the ssp. rhamnoides showed only 15% between-population variability, indicating a relatively restricted population differentiation as expected in outcrossing species and shown in several other AMOVA studies. The tendency for island populations to be somewhat more differentiated, and to have less within-population diversity than mainland populations, may indicate an effect of population fragmentation. Genetic distance estimates among populations, obtained with and without pruning of RAPD loci on the basis of the 3/ N criterion, were generally in very good agreement. Cluster analyses and principal coordinate analyses showed populations of ssp. rhamnoides to be rather close, but quite isolated from the single ssp. mongolica population. Genetic and geographical distances between the ssp. rhamnoides populations were not associated, indicating that large-scale geographical and ecotypic differentiation was not reflected in the RAPD profiles.     

A population genetics study of Anopheles darlingi (Diptera: Culicidae) from Colombia based on random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction and amplified fragment lenght polymorphism markers

The genetic variation and population structure of three populations of Anopheles darlingi from Colombia were studied using random amplified polymorphic markers (RAPDs) and amplified fragment length polymorphism markers (AFLPs). Six RAPD primers produced 46 polymorphic fragments, while two AFLP primer combinations produced 197 polymorphic fragments from 71 DNA samples. Both of the evaluated genetic markers showed the presence of gene flow, suggesting that Colombian An. darlingi populations are in panmixia. Average genetic diversity, estimated from observed heterozygosity, was 0.374 (RAPD) and 0.309 (AFLP). RAPD and AFLP markers showed little evidence of geographic separation between eastern and western populations; however, the F ST values showed high gene flow between the two western populations (RAPD: F ST = 0.029; Nm: 8.5; AFLP: F ST = 0.051; Nm: 4.7). According to molecular variance analysis (AMOVA), the genetic distance between populations was significant (RAPD:phiST = 0.084; AFLP:phiST = 0.229, P < 0.001). The F ST distances and AMOVAs using AFLP loci support the differentiation of the Guyana biogeographic province population from those of the Chocó-Magdalena. In this last region, Chocó and Córdoba populations showed the highest genetic flow.     

Variation among and within Capsicum species revealed by RAPD markers

 Germplasm characterization is an important link between the conservation and utilization of plant genetic resources. A total of 134 accessions from six Capsicumspecies maintained at the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center were characterized using 110 randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Ten pairs of potentially duplicated accessions were identified. Multidimensional scaling analysis of the genetic distances among accessions resulted in clustering corresponding to a previous species assignment except for six accessions. Diagnostic RAPDs were identified which discriminate among the Capsicumspecies. The diagnostic markers were employed for improved taxonomic identification of accessions since many morphological traits used in the identification of Capsicumare difficult to score. Three Capsicumaccessions, misclassified based on morphological traits, were reassigned species status based on diagnostic RAPDs. Three accessions, not previously classified, were assigned to a species based on diagnostic RAPDs. Definitive conclusions about the species assignment of three other accessions were not possible. The level of diversity between Capsicum annuumaccessions from the genebank and the breeding program were compared and no differences were observed either for RAPD variation or diversity. The utilization of genetic resources as a source of variance for useful traits in the breeding program may be the reason for the similarity of these two groups. Received: 1 September 1998 / Accepted: 28 December 1998     

The distribution of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) diversity amongst populations of Isotoma petraea (Lobeliaceae)

RAPDs were generated from plants of six populations of Isotoma petraea F. Muell. The species occurs on rock outcrops in southern and western Australia, with populations exhibiting different breeding systems, including complete autogamy, varying levels of outbreeding and complex hybridity. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS) analysis of the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) data set clearly resolved all populations. The Pigeon Rock population, which is home to both complex hybrid and structural homozygote plants, was divided into those two groups by the nMDS analysis. There was little diversity in highly autogamous populations, but levels were higher in the outbred Yackeyackine population. All complex hybrid populations and plants possessed numerous genetic system-specific RAPDs, some of which were shown to be held in fixed heterozygosity. Estimating G _ST using RAPDs has been problematical due to their dominance, and analytical methods usually rely on knowledge of the selfing rate or assume Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. This assumption does not hold when populations exhibit fixed heterozygosity, and an alternative method, Shannon's Index, was used to partition genetic diversity. The distribution of genetic diversity fit expectations for an inbreeding species, with most of the variation (87.5%) occurring between populations. This compares to an average RAPD-based G _ST of 59.6% for inbreeding species generally and 15.5% for outbreeding species.     

Population genetic diversity in the polyploid complex of wheatgrasses using isoenzyme and RAPD data

Thirty five bands (alleles) from six enzyme systems and fifty seven random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fragments were selected to analyse the genetic diversity of 33 polyploid wheatgrasses (Triticeae) populations of species Thinopyrum junceiforme and Elytrigia pycnantha, and two hybrids, one pentaploid and one novel 9-ploid. Dice’s similarity coefficient, the UPGMA-derived phenograms from RAPD, and allozymes markers showed that the clustering of wheatgrass populations was based on ploidy level. These markers had similar levels of diversity between populations, with high genetic similarity within the same ploidy-level and within population’s individuals. The tetraploid Th. junceiforme populations are closely related, with a large similarity distances varied from 0.8 to 1. Based on the isozyme and RAPD analyses, diploid taxa are related to polyploids with similarity coefficients 0.4.