2026-10-14T07:25:04Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33948055 2026-09-21T03:05:37Z category_24319 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Microsatelite data on 22 <i>Zostera marina</i> populations in China based on 16 loci Xiaomei Zhang (16443297) Genetics not elsewhere classified seagrass Zostera marina genetic diversity population strucuture genetic differentiation <p dir="ltr">Seagrass meadows provide critical ecosystem services but have experienced dramatic declines worldwide; however, the population genetic baselines necessary for conservation and restoration remain largely unavailable for most regions. In China, <i>Zostera marina</i> is the dominant seagrass species along the Yellow and Bohai Sea coasts, yet its genetic diversity and population structure have never been comprehensively assessed. Here, we conducted a large‑scale population genetic survey covering 18 sites across the species' distribution range in this region, genotyping 693 ramets using 16 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Our results revealed that most populations maintain relatively high genetic diversity (<i>H</i>_E = 0.37–0.59), with the Weihai region exhibiting the highest levels and the Qingdao populations—particularly LWB—showing the lowest. Clonal richness was generally high (R > 0.84), and fine‑scale spatial variation was detected within certain meadows. Bayesian clustering and phylogenetic analyses consistently resolved two primary genetic clusters, with Qingdao (HQB, QDB, LWB) and Weihai representing the most distantly related lineages, while remaining populations from the Yellow–Bohai Sea exhibited varying degrees of admixture. The overall genetic structure displayed a chaotic mosaic pattern without isolation by distance, suggesting that postglacial colonization from multiple refugia, coupled with stochastic demographic processes and local recruitment dynamics, probably has jointly shaped the contemporary genetic architecture. This study provides the first robust genetic baseline for <i>Z. marina</i> in China and highlights the critical need for explicitly incorporating genetic diversity into seagrass conservation and restoration planning.</p> 2026-09-21T03:05:37Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.33948055.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Microsatelite_data_on_22_i_Zostera_marina_i_populations_in_China_based_on_16_loci/33948055 CC BY 4.0