title: Genetic variation within and among populations of a dominant desert tree Haloxylon ammodendron (Amaranthaceae) in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  China is one of the countries most severely affected by desertification. Haloxylon ammodendron (Amaranthaceae) is an ecologically important component of the desert ecosystem and is one of the main tree species used for restoration, yet we know little about its genetic structure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Genetic variation within and between nine populations of H. ammodendron from two regions of China was investigated using ISSR (inter-simple sequence repeat) markers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight primers used in this study amplified 219 reproducible bands of which 184 (84 %) were polymorphic. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed high genetic variation within populations (97.63 %) and low genetic differentiation between regions (0.62 %) and among populations (1.75 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is suggested that the present genetic structure could have arisen by high levels of gene flow. The gene flow among populations observed here is probably mainly attributable to pollen movement. The genetic structure also has important implications in ecological restoration practice.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Quantitative Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Kequan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Keping
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D027703:Amaranthaceae / Q000235:genetics*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002681:China; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics; D003889:Desert Climate; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D010802:Phylogeny; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018744:DNA, Plant; D005819:Genetic Markers