Genomic Variation Landscape and Population Genetic Analysis of Camellia longistyla Based on Whole-Genome Resequencing

Camellia longistyla is an endemic species to Guizhou Province, possessing significant ornamental value and potential economic value for oil production.To elucidate its genetic background and guide scientific conservation and sustainable utilization, this study employed whole-genome resequencing for the first time on 98 individuals from three natural populations in Chishui City and Leishan County. Through high-quality SNP markers, we systematically analyzed its genomic variation characteristics, population genetic structure, and genetic diversity levels.A total of 61,370,270 high-quality SNPs were identified, which were uniformly distributed across chromosomes but with distinct variation hotspot regions. Population structure analysis clearly divided all samples into two main subpopulations (Pop60 and Pop38), perfectly corresponding to their geographical origins, indicating that geographical isolation is the key factor driving population differentiation. Genetic diversity assessment indicated moderately low overall genetic diversity, with significant imbalance between the two subpopulations: the larger Chishui population (Pop60) exhibited lower genetic diversity than the Leishan population (Pop38), suggesting a higher risk of genetic diversity loss in the former. This study provides the first genome-level insights into the genetic structure and diversity status of C.longistyla, offering crucial scientific evidence for formulating differentiated conservation strategies, identifying priority conservation units, and future germplasm innovation and breeding research.