Molecular diversity of small balsam populations in relation to site characteristics

Climatic shifts within recent decades created favorable conditions for invasive species flourishing in more Northern parts of Europe. Our study was aimed at evaluation of genetic variability and habitat features of Impatiens parviflora populations growing in Lithuania. Twenty one populations were selected and analysed using simple sequence repeat (SSR) and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assays. Evaluated by SSRs, 315 individuals were all monomorphic and homozygous at 4 loci and heterozygous at 1 locus. RAPD analyses revealed that the percentage of polymorphic DNA loci (% P) per population ranged from 7 to 39% and genetic differentiation between populations was Φ PT =0.790 ( P <0.01). Genetic distances among populations (0.135–0.426) correlated significantly with geographical distances (r=0.183; P <0.008). Populations in overmoistured soil contained higher % P (28.3) when compared to drier soil (18.7; P <0.05). All recorded populations were close to roads; their % P did not depend on proximity to buildings, light intensity or population size. Our RAPD analyses indicate multiple introductions of this species in Lithuania. Analyses of I. parviflora at SSR and RAPD loci show that the invasion process is reflected in genetic structure.