Species boundaries and conservation implications of Cinnamomum japonicum , an endangered plant in China

作者：Hanyang Lin, Yue Yang, W.F. Li, Yuxin Luo, Xiao‐Hua Bai, Tetsuo Ohi‐Toma, Changkyun Kim, Joo‐Hwan Kim, Yunpeng Zhao · 发表于：Journal of Systematics and Evolution · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1111/jse.12950 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies、Genetic diversity and population structure、Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions

Abstract Clear species boundaries are crucial for plans and actions on biodiversity conservation. However, morphological similarities among allied species can result in taxonomic difficulties, thus impeding conservation efforts. In China, Cinnamomum japonicum Siebold is a well‐known endangered plant, yet suffers from longstanding taxonomic issues. Here, we explicitly evaluate whether C. japonicum , C. chenii , and C. chekiangense are the same phylogenetic species on the basis of a multi‐individual sampling strategy. We identified three sets of low‐copy orthologous genes from 19 Lauraceae taxa for phylogenetic inferences. Both the concatenation and coalescent‐based phylogenies supported that C. chenii individuals were embedded in the C. japonicum clade , indicating these two taxa are conspecific . Meanwhile, C. chekiangense accessions formed a monophyly which was not sister to C. japonicum . This result, together with the morphological differences that the leaves of C. japonicum are glabrous with a faveolate pattern of venation while those of C. chekiangense have trichomes and inevident lateral veins, led us to consider both as two distinct species. Based on 17 728 neutral single nucleotide polymorphisms ( SNPs ), the ADMIXTURE analysis suggested that the Chinese C. japonicum populations in Zhoushan Archipelago (= C. chenii ) were genetically differentiated from the Japanese and Korean ones. Furthermore, ecological niche modeling predicted that the present distribution area of...