Genome-wide SNPs reveal clonality and population genetic structure of Nymphoides peltata in Japan (Menyanthaceae)

The clonal diversity of Nymphoides peltata in Japan was estimated using genome-wide SNPs. In total, 27 clones were detected by considering the genetic distances between clones. The number of clones was much smaller than the estimate of 61 from a previous study that used SSR (Short Sequence Repeats) markers. This may be because population have diminished due to environmental deterioration over the past decade, fewer samples were analyzed in this study, or there were technical problems with the SSR markers used in the previous study. The populations of N. peltata were genetically differentiated between the western and eastern regions of the Japanese archipelago. Artificial movements may have occurred in a few populations.