Molecular genetic variability in coenopopulations of Caragana jubata (Pall.) Poir. (Fabaceae) in the mountains of Central Asia and Southern Siberia revealed using ISSR-markers

The genetic structure was studied using five ISSR markers in 44 individuals of samples obtained from eight coenopopulations (CPs) of Caragana jubata (Pall.) Poir. in the mountainous conditions of Central Asia - in the Western Pamirs and Inner Tien Shan (Kyrgyzstan) and in Southern Siberia - in Altai (Republic of Altai), Western (Republic of Tyva) and Eastern (Republic of Buryatia) Sayan. We studied the species in a range of geographical distances of more than 2,500 km and in the range of absolute altitudes of 1,570-3,680 m. Caragana jubata is listed in the Red Data Books of eight subjects of the Russian Federation. The species population is declining, including due to anthropogenic impact. The aim of the current work is to identify genetic diversity and heterogeneity in C. jubata coenopopulations depending on their geographic and altitudinal confinement in the mountains of Central Asia and Southern Siberia. It was shown that in undisturbed locations, the studied CPs of this species were characterized by a high number of individuals and by the occupied area of more than 100 m2. Almost every sample from the C. jubata CP studied by us (except for representatives from CP7) contained genotypes possessing unique DNA fragments. The highest proportion of such genotypes (75 %) was found in the sample from CP3 (Inner Tien Shan, Teskey-Ala-Too Ridge, absolute altitude 2,550 m). We did not find unique fragments in the genotypes of individuals from the studied sample of CP7 (Western Sayan, Republic of Tuva). Anthropogenic impact on plants at this location is a possible reason for that. The revealed predominance of intrapopulation genetic variability over interpopulation genetic variability in samples from eight C. jubata CPs studied by us may indicate the stability of representatives of this species within the parts of the range studied by us.