Phenotypic diversity and provenance variation of Cupressus funebris: a case study in the Sichuan Basin, China

Wang Yan; Yongqi Xiang; Mei Gao; Ruoyu Deng; Yan Sun; Renping Wan; Xianyi Pan; Wanzhen Li; Yu Zhong

doi:10.7717/peerj.18494

Phenotypic diversity and provenance variation of Cupressus funebris: a case study in the Sichuan Basin, China

PeerJ. 2024 Nov 29:12:e18494. doi: 10.7717/peerj.18494. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wang Yan^#¹, Yongqi Xiang^#¹, Mei Gao¹, Ruoyu Deng¹, Yan Sun¹, Renping Wan¹, Xianyi Pan¹, Wanzhen Li¹, Yu Zhong^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
² National Forestry and Grassland Administration Key Laboratory of Forest Resources Conservation and Ecological Safety on the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River & Forestry Ecological Engineering in the Upper Reaches of the Yangtze River Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Background: The species Cupressus funebris holds substantial ecological value and economic potential, particularly in the realms of rehabilitating barren mountain landscapes and advancing urban greening endeavors. However, inadequate attention has been given to research endeavors exploring the genetic diversity and morphological characteristics of Cupressus funebris, a deficiency that could potentially hinder its development, utilization, and conservation of genetic resources.

Methods: To rectify the shortage of existing basic morphological data, a morphological analysis was conducted in this study on 180 Cupressus funebris germplasm resources sourced from five provenances. Key traits explored included growth characteristics, overall morphology, branch/leaf features, and seed traits. This will facilitate the evaluation of genetic diversity in Cupressus funebris.

Results: The findings reveal a considerable level of phenotypic variation (PVC of 16.9%) and genetic diversity (1.97 index) in Cupressus funebris germplasm resources. The phenotypic differentiation is observed to be 48% between provenances and 52% within provenances, primarily attributed to variation originating from individual provenances. Based on these morphological characteristics, the germplasm resources have been categorized into four distinct groups: Ecological Restoration Planting, Secondary Reserve Forest, Urban Greening, and Timber Forest. Interestingly, the pattern of variation observed within these groups is irregular, exhibiting no significant correlation with their respective provenances. Furthermore, conifer trees sharing similar growth characteristics tend to display comparable patterns of random variation, suggesting potential underlying genetic mechanisms. This study significantly enriches the phenotypic dataset within the genetic variation research of Cupressus funebris, facilitating development and utilization for ecological construction, timber breeding, and horticultural greening.

Keywords: Conifer tree; Genetic diversity; Geographical variation; Germplasm resources; Phenotypic variation.

MeSH terms

China
Conservation of Natural Resources
Cupressus* / genetics
Genetic Variation* / genetics
Phenotype*
Seeds / genetics

Grants and funding

This research, conducted by Yu Zhong, was funded by the Innovation of Breakthrough Forest Tree Breeding Materials and Methods and Selection of New Varieties (No: 2021YFYZ0032), and the Key Research and Development Project of Sichuan Science and Technology Plan. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.