Genetic diversity in westernmost European populations of Halimione verrucifera (M. Bieb.) Aellen

Halimione verrucifera – an extreme halophyte plant species spread mainly in Asia with a few locations in South Eastern Europe – have the westernmost marginal populations in Romania. In order to asses population fitness and conservation status, genetic diversity among and within population was estimated using ISSR markers.A set of 6 primers were utilized after selection from a primer set which showed clear and reproducible banding patterns, generating a total number of 86 loci. A presence/absence matrix was generated by evaluating the gel electrophoresis banding patterns of PCR products. From this, genetic distances between individuals and populations were calculated, which were used in all subsequent generation of genetic diversity indices, assuming the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Result revealed a low expected heterozygosity for both populations. Further testing by constructing an UPGMA dendrogram and a PCoA analysis confirmed that populations are clearly separated and with levels of genetic diversity that could ensure population survival in time and space.