Genetic diversity and population dynamic of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chow in Central China

Shuhui Du; Xiaoyan Hu; Xiuyun Yang; Wendong Yu; Zhaoshan Wang

doi:10.1002/ece3.9101

Genetic diversity and population dynamic of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (Bunge) Hu ex H. F. Chow in Central China

Ecol Evol. 2022 Jul 24;12(7):e9101. doi: 10.1002/ece3.9101. eCollection 2022 Jul.

Authors

Shuhui Du¹, Xiaoyan Hu¹, Xiuyun Yang¹, Wendong Yu², Zhaoshan Wang³

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Cultivation and Development on Functional Oil Trees in the Northern China Shanxi Agricultural University Taigu Jinzhong China.
² College of Horticulture and Plant Protection Yangzhou University Yangzhou China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Key Laboratory of Silviculture of the State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry Chinese Academy of Forestry Beijing China.

Abstract

Phylogeographic research concerning Central China has been rarely conducted. Population genetic and phylogeography of Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa (also called sour jujube) were investigated to improve our understanding of plant phylogeographic patterns in Central China. Single-copy nuclear gene markers and complete chloroplast genome data were applied to 328 individuals collected from 21 natural populations of sour jujube in China. Nucleotide variation of sour jujube was relatively high (π = 0.00720, θ _w = 0.00925), which resulted from the mating system and complex population dynamics. Analysis of molecular variation analysis revealed that most of the total variation was attributed to variation within populations, and a high level of genetic differentiation among populations was detected (F _st = 0.197). Relatively low long-distance dispersal capability and vitality of pollen contributed to high genetic differentiation among populations. Differences in the environmental conditions and long distance among populations further restricted gene flow. Structure clustering analysis uncovered intraspecific divergence between central and marginal populations. Migrate analysis found a high level of gene flow between these two intraspecific groups. Bayesian skyline plot detected population expansion of these two intraspecific groups. Network and phylogeny analysis of chloroplast haplotypes also found intraspecific divergence, and the divergence time was estimated to occur at about 55.86 Ma. Haplotype native to the Loess Plateau was more ancient, and multiple glacial refugia of sour jujube were found to locate at the Loess Plateau, areas adjacent to the Qinling Mountains and Tianmu Mountains. Species distribution model analysis found a typical contraction-expansion model corresponding to the Quaternary climatic oscillations. In the future, the distribution of sour jujube may shift to high-latitude areas. This study provides new insights for phylogeographic research of temperate plant species distributed in Central China and sets a solid foundation for the application of the scientific management strategy of Z. jujuba var. spinosa.

Keywords: Ziziphus jujuba var. spinosa; chloroplast genome; genetic structure; nucleotide variation; population dynamic; single‐copy nuclear gene markers.