Format: ORAL

Camille Christe1, Nathan Cornide1 2, Andreas Ensslin1, Yamama Naciri1 2, Mathieu Perret1 2

1 Conservatoire et Jardin botaniques de Genève, Pregny-Chambésy, Switzerland 2 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Geneva, Genève, Switzerland

Intra specific genetic diversity is a key component of biodiversity, but it has frequently been overlooked in conservation studies due to the difficulties to study it. Conservation programs often need a genetics assessment of the target populations to guide specific actions, such as source population to use in reinforcement or reintroduction. Here we test the effectiveness of the universal targetedsequence capture approach Angiosperms353 to capture the genetic structure and diversity of small regionally endangered populations within three distinct species for which conservation action plans are developed in Switzerland (Blackstonia acuminata,Eryngium campestre, and Lythrum hyssopifolia). For each of the three species, we could successfully identify a minimum of 900 non-linked Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) in exonic and flanking intronic regions. The analysis of theseSNPsrevealedcontrasting patterns of population structure, geneticdiversity, and hybridizationlevels,even at a very localscale. In Blackstonia, our results show the clear differentiation of morphologically similar species (B. acuminata and B. perfoliata), and reveal in B. accuminata a hybridization level indicative of a hybrid taxon likely reproducing through apomixis. Eryngium campestre exhibited distinct population lineages associated with the drainage systems in which they were situated. Lythrum hyssopifolia revealed both its polyploid nature and significant population differentiation. Although Angiosperms353 was developed to study species relationships due to the high conservation level of the targeted genes, we demonstrate the efficacy of this kit at the population level. Its many advantages such as direct applicability, cost-effectiveness, compatibility with herbarium samples and a better data interoperability could facilitate the use of genetics for rapidly assessing genetic diversity and structure with the aim of informing conservation actions.