Chloroplast diversity and population differentiation of Castanopsis fargesii (Fagaceae): a dominant tree species in evergreen broad-leaved forest of subtropical China

Subtropical forests in China constitute the major expanse of evergreen broad-leaved forest in East Asia. The significant genetic divergence of the keystone tree species should be expected due to the huge geomorphological and environmental changes from west to east in subtropical China. In this study, a total of 652 individuals from 27 populations of Castanopsis fargesii throughout its natural range in mainland China were genotyped with eight chloroplast microsatellite markers to investigate genetic diversity, population differentiation, and demographic history of C. fargesii. Phylogeographic structure among populations of C. fargesii was evidenced by the permutation test, revealing that N_ST was significantly higher than G_ST. The strong genetic differentiation found among populations was well in accordance with isolation-by-distance model. In addition, significant isolation by elevation was detected among populations. Significant genetic differentiations were revealed among the west, center, and east regions by approximate Bayesian computations (ABC). The genetic divergence might reflect the regional responses to the fast and dramatic uplift of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Wuyi mountain range in the Pleistocene. In the present study, contraction-expansion process was detected in the west, center, and east regions, indicating that geomorphological remodeling together with climatic changes in the Pleistocene had strong impact on genetic structure of C. fargesii.