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Leavenworthia  (Brassicaceae) has served as a model group for investigating the evolution of mating systems in plants, yet several  Leavenworthia  species remain understudied. One such taxon is  Leavenworthia exigua  var.  laciniata , one of three varieties of  L. exigua , a winter-annual plant endemic to the central United States. Because  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  occupies a narrow geographic range and is experiencing major habitat loss, it was recently listed as threatened; however, little is known about its genetic diversity and implications for conservation. We conducted a range-wide population genetic study of  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  and  L. exigua  var.  exigua  to understand: (1) levels of genetic diversity within and among populations, (2) whether  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  is genetically distinct from  L. exigua  var.  exigua , and (3) implications for conservation.  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  showed identical genotypes at all 16 microsatellite loci across most of its range, fixed heterozygosity at some loci, and significant heterozygote excesses, consistent with a lack of recombination associated with an asexual mating system, which has not been documented previously in  Leavenworthia . Because  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  is an annual and the same genotype occurs across multiple populations, asexuality may be caused by apomixis, asexual reproduction via seed. In contrast, most populations of  L. exigua  var.  exigua  demonstrated population genetic patterns consistent with a self-compatible mating system. Because  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  is morphologically, geographically, and genetically distinct, it should be recognized as an evolutionarily significant unit for conservation. We recommend maintaining large population sizes to conserve evolutionary potential in  L. exigua  var.  laciniata , as the likelihood that facultative sexual reproduction may occur may be greater in larger populations. Additional research in  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  is needed to confirm the occurrence of asexuality and apomixis, clarify its reproductive isolation from other taxa, and to understand whether it exhibits residual sexual reproduction, epigenetic variation, or phenotypic plasticity to help it persist in response to environmental variation. In the future,  L. exigua  var.  laciniata  may serve as an important model in which to investigate the conservation of threatened plant species with little genetic variation in a changing climate.

frontiers in conservation science

Population Genetic Analysis of the Threatened Plant Leavenworthia exigua var. laciniata (Brassicaceae) Reveals Virtually No Genetic Diversity and a Unique Mating System