Genetic diversity of natural and cultivated populations ofOenanthe javanica in Korea

Enzyme electrophoresis was used to estimate genetic diversity and population structure in natural and cultivatedOenanthe javanica (Blume) DC. In the six natural populations, 8 of the 22 loci showed polymorphisms. Cultivated populations had fewer alleles per locus (1.84 vs. 1.91), fewer effective alleles per locus (1.47 vs. 1.52), a lower percentage of polymorphic loci (42.3 vs. 50.0), and lower diversity (0.210 vs. 0.228) than did natural populations. These parameters of genetic diversity indicate that the cultivated populations are genetically depauperate relative to their presumptive progenitor, and that the domestication process has partly eroded the level of genetic variation of this species. Nevertheless, the diversity of this species has higher-than-average values compared with other species having similar life-history traits. We propose that the mix-mating system; perennial, high gene flow; and large population sizes are possible factors contributing to this high diversity, which seemed to increase with distance from the coastlines.