Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Orchidaceae
Summary
Orchidaceae is one of the largest and most diverse families of flowering plants, exhibiting remarkable genetic variation across its more than 25 000 species. Genetic diversity within orchids underpins their evolutionary resilience, adaptation to varied ecological niches and intricate interactions with specialised pollinators and mycorrhizal fungi. Population structure in orchids is shaped by life‐history traits such as clonal growth, limited seed dispersal and habitat fragmentation. Molecular tools, including single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs), coupled with multivariate analyses such as principal coordinate analysis and Bayesian clustering, have revealed patterns of genetic subdivision at both interspecific and intraspecific levels. Tropical regions often harbour hotspots of orchid diversity, yet many narrowly endemic species display low within‐population diversity and high differentiation among populations. Understanding these patterns is critical for conservation prioritisation, breeding programmes and the authentication of commercially important cultivars.
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Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Orchidaceae publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in genetic diversity and population structure in orchidaceae across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Genetic diversity: The total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species, reflecting variation within and among populations.
Population structure: The organisation of genetic variation within and between populations, often influenced by migration, mating patterns and geographic barriers.
Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A variation at a single base position in the genome, commonly used as a genetic marker in diversity studies.
Simple sequence repeat (SSR): Also known as microsatellites, short tandem repeats of 1–6 base pairs used for high-resolution genotyping.
Polymorphism information content (PIC): A measure of the informativeness of a genetic marker based on allele frequency and heterozygosity.
Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA): A statistical method that partitions genetic variation within and among populations to quantify levels of differentiation.
References
- Development of KASP markers, SNP fingerprinting and population genetic analysis of Cymbidium ensifolium (L.) Sw. germplasm resources in China. Frontiers in Plant Science (2025).
- Assessment of Population Genetic Diversity of Medicinal Meconopsis integrifolia (Maxim.) Franch. Using Newly Developed SSR Markers. Plants (2024).
- Microsatellite Dataset for Cultivar Discrimination in Spring Orchid (Cymbidium goeringii). Genes (2023).
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