Differentiation and population subdivision in Picea mongolica based on microsatellite analyses

Picea mongolica is distributed exclusively in the eastern edge of the fixed sand dunes in Hunshandake Sandy Land, China. In this area, three groups of P. mongolica can be identified by their predominant fruit colours (purple, red and green). In this study, we used seven polymorphic microsatellites to investigate the level of genetic variation and differentiation among these groups. A significant level of genetic differentiation was detected in pairwise group comparisons. Pairwise F_ST values ranged from 0.019 to 0.028, indicating, however, a level of similarity among the groups higher than that observed in other species of the Picea genus. Cluster analysis indicated that the three groups analyzed here derived from a single gene pool. We propose that moisture differences in the sand dunes may lead to the observed differentiation in P. mongolica populations, which may be accelerated by habitat fragmentation. The observed genetic differentiation among the three groups of P. mongolica supports their classification as three different ecotypes, namely Picea mongolica f. purpurea, Picea mongolica f. rubra, and Picea mongolica f. viridis.