Special Issue "Population Genetics of Animals and Plants"

A special issue of Diversity (ISSN 1424-2818). This special issue belongs to the section "Biodiversity Conservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 1364

Special Issue Editor

Nature Research Centre, Akademijos Str. 2, 08412 Vilnius, Lithuania
Interests: parasitology; population genetics; taxonomy; phylogeny; conservation genetics; molecular ecology; molecular biology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Population genetics is closely related to genetics, ecology, and evolution. The main evolutionary factors changing allele and genotype frequencies in current natural populations are gene drift, gene flow, mutation, and natural selection. This branch of modern biology aims to identify intra-population and inter-population genetic variability. The genetic diversity of natural populations expressed in heterozygosity, allelic richness or nucleotide diversity is essential for long-term population survival and adaptation to constantly changing environmental conditions. Genetic variability between subpopulations of a metapopulation can lead to genetic differentiation between these subpopulations. The most important tools of population genetics are genetic markers (such as SNP, microsatellites, AFLP, and others) and the DNA sequencing of a certain highly polymorphic locus. With the help of these molecular tools, the frequencies of genotypes and alleles and the heterozygosity of populations are determined, and the main evolutionary factors influencing the genetic diversity, structure and adaptation of populations are examined.

Recent advances in molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics, as well as advances in statistical tests and packages analysing genetic polymorphism data led to the rapid development of population genetics and the accumulation of large amounts of empirical data in wildlife populations of animals and plants. Due to direct and indirect human activities, biodiversity is decreasing on our planet. Many species have already become extinct, while others have experienced a decline in their population size. Therefore, one of the main directions of current population genetics is conservation. In a changing world, population genetics does not only deal with theoretical research, but also with population fragmentation, small population sizes and inbreeding depression, anthropogenic hybridisation, phylogeography, invasive species, determination of population boundaries, and management of exploited populations.

We invite submissions of a manuscripts that focus on various theoretical and practical topics of population genetics, and we are looking forward to studies that have been conducted in any geographical region examining wildlife animals and plants. If you are interested in this opportunity or have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Dr. Petras Prakas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Diversity is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • genetic variability
  • genetic structure
  • conservation
  • fragmentation
  • hybridization
  • phylogeography
  • migration
  • population demography
  • invasive species
  • exploited populations

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of the Spotted Sleeper Odontobutis interrupta (Odontobutidae), a Fish Endemic to Korea
Diversity 2023, 15(8), 913; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080913 - 07 Aug 2023
Viewed by 687
Abstract
The spotted sleeper, Odontobutis interrupta, is a fish species endemic to Korea and shows potential as an aquaculture species. Nevertheless, the population size of this species has declined significantly in recent years. To characterize the population structure and genetic diversity of O. [...] Read more.
The spotted sleeper, Odontobutis interrupta, is a fish species endemic to Korea and shows potential as an aquaculture species. Nevertheless, the population size of this species has declined significantly in recent years. To characterize the population structure and genetic diversity of O. interrupta in Korea, we analyzed four microsatellite loci in twelve populations from four major river systems. The provenance of the population was investigated to discern the origin of the translocated populations. The genetic diversity of the microsatellite ranged from 0.440 to 0.756, showing a high level of diversity similar to that of other freshwater fishes. However, mitochondrial DNA analysis exhibited low genetic diversity (Hd: 0.000–0.674, π: 0.00000–0.00159). The FST values of microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA ranged from 0.096 to 0.498 and −0.046 to 0.951, suggesting genetic admixture among populations. All populations exhibited an effective population size of <100; therefore, preservation efforts to prevent inbreeding depression would be required. The genetic structure could be divided into unique genotypes from the Seomjingang and Geumgang Rivers. However, genetic admixture was observed in all populations, rendering it impossible to distinguish them. Our findings provide fundamental but significant genetic insights pursuant to devising conservation strategies for O. interrupta. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Genetics of Animals and Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Article
Genetic Variation and Evolutionary History of the Threatened Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.Gaertn. Detected Using Microsatellites
Diversity 2023, 15(8), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/d15080894 - 28 Jul 2023
Viewed by 301
Abstract
Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.Gaertn. is a valuable timber tree indigenous to the lowland tropical forests of southern and central Vietnam. It is in danger of extinction due to fragmented habitats and overexploitation. Therefore, assessing the genetic diversity and demographic history of this species is [...] Read more.
Dipterocarpus turbinatus C.F.Gaertn. is a valuable timber tree indigenous to the lowland tropical forests of southern and central Vietnam. It is in danger of extinction due to fragmented habitats and overexploitation. Therefore, assessing the genetic diversity and demographic history of this species is essential to providing a platform for conservation activities. Herein, we analyzed 281 D. turbinatus trees from 10 populations representing their natural distribution range in Vietnam using nine polymorphic microsatellites to provide valuable information for conservation activities. We detected genetic diversity within these populations (0.285 and 0.328 for observed and expected heterozygosity, respectively), as well as population genetic differentiation (a Wei and Cockerham value of 0.202 and a Hedrick value of 0.32). Clustering analysis based on different approaches revealed three genetic clusters which were significantly correlated to gene flow across the geographic distribution range of D. turbinatus in tropical evergreen forests. Approximate Bayesian computation suggested that the D. turbinatus populations had an evolutionary history consistent with divergence during the last glacial maximum. Based on our results, we recommend the in situ conservation of several populations with high genetic diversity, high allelic richness, or private alleles, and the gathering of the seeds of the remaining populations for ex situ conservation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Population Genetics of Animals and Plants)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop