Woo-Ho Kim1P, Homervergel G. Ong2,3, Ji-Eun Lim1, Tae-Hun Kim1, Min-Jea Kang1, Seung-Hwi Kim1, Su-Yeon Song1, Jae-Uk Lee1, Young-Dong Kim1,2

1Department of Life Sciences, Hallym University, Chuncheon; 2Multidisciplinary Genome Institute, Hallym University, Chuncheon; 3On Saengmul Research Institute Inc., Chuncheon

Silene jenisseensis is a perennial herb belonging to the Caryophyllaceae, growing on rocky slopes at elevations above 1,300 m in the mountainous northern regions of South Korea. It is known to be distributed in China, Mongolia, and Russia, with Korea marking the southernmost limit of its native range. Its IUCN Red List status is Near Threatened (NT) according to the Korea Ministry of Environment, and Vulnerable (VU) based on the Korea National Arboretum. Despite this, no population-level genetic study has yet been conducted on this species. Here, we present our population genetic analysis findings in 96 samples across six populations based on genome-wide SNPs as markers, to provide useful information for establishing conservation strategies for the species. Analysis of genetic diversity revealed that all populations exhibited low levels of genetic diversity (He = 0.161), and elevated inbreeding (F = 0.781). PCoA results showed three genetic clusters, while our STRUCTURE analysis identified as the two optimal groups (K = 2). The AMOVA results indicated that most of the genetic variation in S. jenisseensis occurred among individuals (82%), followed by among populations (12%; FST = 0.114) and within individuals (6%). The results of this study are expected to provide important data for the conservation of S. jenisseensis.