Genetic structure of the populations of Dactylorhiza ochroleuca and D. incarnata (Orchidaceae) in the area of their joint growth in Russia and Belarus

Abstract

We carried out an allozyme analysis to investigate polymorphism and genetic structure of the populations of D. incarnata and D. ochroleuca in regions of their joint growth in Russia and Belarus. We found that D. ochroleuca individuals in the populations of the Urals and Siberia, which are distant fragments from the main range of the species, do not differ significantly from individuals within the main part of the area (Belarus) on the basis of the allelic composition of eight gene loci. We revealed that D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata are differentiated by different alleles of the GDH locus. Thus, we established a genetic marker suitable to distinguish these closely related taxa. In addition to the GDH locus, D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata in the places of their joint growth, differ in the allelic structure of the PGI and NADHD loci. D. incarnata from the Urals and Siberia were polymorphic for both loci, and individuals from Belarus were polymorphic for one locus (PGI). In contrast, all D. ochroleuca individuals growing in sympatric populations with polymorphic D. incarnata were homozygous for the same alleles. Thus, comparison of the genetic structure of D. ochroleuca and D. incarnata points to the existence of a genetic isolation and a functioning isolation mechanism even under conditions of their joint growth. We found that the GDH locus in D. incarnata is polymorphic only in populations which grow together with D. ochroleuca, with exception a few examples. Thus, we conclude that variability of the GDH locus in D. incarnata is associated with hybridization with D. ochroleuca.