High levels of gene flow constraints population structure in Mucuna pruriens L. (DC.) of northeast India

The high estimates of Jaccard's coefficient and Shannon's index reveal good genetic diversity supporting centre of origin theory. However, pair-wise estimates of genetic differentiation (FST, Nei's D) were low and AMOVA revealed no evidence for genetic structuring suggesting high levels of gene flow and absence of genetic drift or bottleneck events. Clustering based on UPGMA and STRUCTURE analyses were in conformity with these findings, but point to existence of two independent gene pools representing perhaps Assam plains and eastern Himalayas - the two disparate components of geographically diverse northeast India. The mechanisms underlying such variation besides implications on genetic diversity along with scope for future investigations are discussed.