Genetic diversity and structure of Sideritis scardica Griseb. natural populations from Greece and FYR of Macedonia

Sideritis scardica Griseb. is an endangered plant species, endemic to the Balkan peninsula. Aerial parts of Sideritis scardica Griseb. are used in traditional medicine as a herbal tea for treatment of lung and gastrointestinal disorders, antimicrobial infections and rheumatic disorders. The plants are extensively gathered from natural resources and due to often overexploitation many wild populations are seriously threatened. Therefore, the design of conservation strategies is crucial, thus requiring detailed analysis of the level and distribution of genetic diversity. For this purpose 12 natural S. scardica populations from Greece and FYR of Macedonia were analyzed using Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that the most genetic variation was found within populations (65.02%). Gene diversity ranged from 0.088 (Mt. Kozuf ; MKD) to 0.123 (Mt. Vermio ; GR). Populations tended to group together according to their geographical origin as revealed by distance and model based methods. Isolation by distance analysis indicated that 52.2% of population differentiation could be explained with isolation by distance. The obtained results provide basic information for the efficient conservation strategy development for S. scardica and introduction into agricultural cultivation.