Phylogeography of Populus sect. Turanga reveals their genetic differentiation and protection strategy in northwest China

Study on the genetic diversity among individuals or populations of Populus is essential for its conservation strategies, but it has been greatly obstructed due to lack of a comprehensive investigation in northwest China. Here, the population structure and genetic diversity of 1620 samples of 85 Populus natural populations, covering the whole northwest China, were assessed using 120 SNPs markers by target sequencing.