Genetic diversity of reed canarygrass populations of Baltic States

Abstract

Reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a common perennial grass belonging to family Poaceae, subfamily Pooideae, Poodae, Poeae. This species is widespread in the northern part of the world, growing naturally in Europe. It is known as an economically important species, cultivated for biofuel, ornamental and bioremediation purposes. P. arundinacea acquires special value in a changing climate due to its ability to adapt in both dry and wet areas. The genetics of this plant have been studied to assess its invasiveness in North America, but information on natural populations in Central and Eastern European countries is still lacking. Present study was aimed at evaluation of molecular diversity of reed canarygrass populations growing along riverbanks in their natural distribution range. Fifty-one populations of P. arundinacea were selected in the Baltic States, and some populations were collected from Western Europe and East Asia. We used 14 pairs of microsatellite primers for molecular diversity analysis. The highest and lowest genetic diversity was recorded in Lithuanian populations. The within diversity of P. arundinacea populations is greater than that of populations rather than among them. Principal coordinate analysis revealed Asian populations at marginal positions. The same populations of Asia were the most different according to Bayesian clustering. This analysis showed that current populations are admixtures of several genetic groups (STRUCTURE analysis).