Genetic diversity and structure of Sideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr. (Lamiaceae) wild populations from Balkan Peninsula

Publication date: Available online 21 January 2020Source: Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic PlantsAuthor(s): Efstathia Patelou, Paschalina Chatzopoulou, Alexios N. Polidoros, Photini V. MylonaAbstractSideritis raeseri Boiss. & Heldr is a subalpine/alpine plant species endemic to the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. Mountain tea (S. raeseri) is a traditional medical remedy as a decoction of high value and a source of essential oils beneficial to human health. Recent findings of Sideritis active constituents in preventive therapy of osteoporosis, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases have increased public interest with pronounced impact on natural populations and species diversity. Morphological descriptors and chemotypes are commonly used for species description and diversity evaluation; however, these are affected by environmental perturbations. The present study assessed the genetic diversity and relationships of nine wild S. raeseri populations, using 12 URP molecular markers. In total, 283 distinct and reliable bands in all populations were amplified, including 86-122 polymorphic bands within each population. AMOVA analysis revealed a percentage of 66.30 % inter-population genetic diversity. Genetic structure analysis of the individual samples indicated that nine relatively independent gene pools were represented in the data and each individual sample was correctly assigned to its population of origin. Geographic distance was not correlated to div...
Source: Journal of Applied Research on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Category: Complementary Medicine Source Type: research