Junhyun Hur1P, Seohyeon Kim1, Dohyeon Kwag1, Sang-Tae Kim1,2

1 Department of Life Sciences, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea; 2 Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, The Catholic University of Korea, Bucheon, Republic of Korea

Lysimachia acroadenia Maxim., a perennial herbaceous plant has been found only in Korea and Japan. The distribution in Korea is very restricted in the forested wetlands on Jeju Island and the southern coastal regions of Korea. This species is easily distinguished from other species by the branching pattern, peppery leaves, loosely arranged racemes and glowing spheroidal seed sacs although there appeared some taxonomic confusions with L. leucantha. In order to investigate the genetic variations and populational divergence in this species we obtained genome-level of sequence data using the ddRAD-seq method from 67 individuals in Korea and Japan. A total of 17,896 high-quality SNPs were identified and used to assess genetic diversity, population differentiation, and genetic structure. PCoA and STRUCTURE analysis were further conducted to evaluate genetic clustering patterns and admixture among populations. Our results showed the low genetic differentiation among populations within Jeju Island, whereas strong differentiation between inland and Jeju Island populations. In addition, we found that the Korean and Japanese populations were clearly diverged suggesting a limited contemporary gene flow. Taken together, these results suggest that L. acroadenia diverged into Korean and Japanese lineages, and that inland Korean populations were likely originated more recently from Jeju populations.

Keywords: RAD-seq, STRUCTURE, Jeju Island, genetic diversity,