RAPD analysis of natural populations of Acanthopanax brachypus

Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis is a new technology of molecular marking which has proved very powerful in detecting genetic diversity at the level of population. The genomic DNAs used in our experiment were extracted from fresh leaves taken from 59 individuals sampled from three natural populations in Yan An, Shanxi Province. Through more than 2,000 PCRs, deep-going RAPD analysis was carried out on DNA samples from 49 individuals. The percentage of polymorphic RAPD loci found in these three populations were respectively 27.2%, 18.6% and 5.4%; the average genetic distances within population, 0.055, 0.036 and 0.008; the average genetic distances between populations (I-II), (I-III) and (II-III), 0.105, 0.096 and 0.060. The genetic diversity of A. brachypus within and between populations was found, for the first time, to be rather poor, thus revealing innate factors as the cause contributing to its endangered status. In addition, our work also provides basic materials for elucidating the underlying cause of its endangerment and for its protection biology.