Population genetic structure of rare and endangered plants using molecular markers

dc.contributor.author Raji, Jennifer
dc.contributor.author Atkinson, Carter T.
dc.date.accessioned 2016-03-09T16:11:12Z
dc.date.available 2016-03-09T16:11:12Z
dc.date.issued 2013-02
dc.description.abstract This study was initiated to assess the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation in the remaining populations of Phyllostegia stachyoides and Melicope zahlbruckneri in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park and determine the extent of gene flow to identify genetically distinct individuals or groups for conservation purposes. Thirty-six Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphic (AFLP) primer combinations generated a total of 3,242 polymorphic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments in the P. stachyoides population with a percentage of polymorphic bands (PPB) ranging from 39.3 to 65.7% and 2,780 for the M. zahlbruckneri population with a PPB of 18.8 to 64.6%. Population differentiation (Fst) of AFLP loci between subpopulations of P. stachyoides was low (0.043) across populations. Analysis of molecular variance of P. stachyoides showed that 4% of the observed genetic differentiation occurred between populations in different kīpuka and 96% when individuals were pooled from all kīpuka. Moderate genetic diversity was detected within the M. zahlbruckneri population. Bayesian and multivariate analyses both classified the P. stachyoides and M. zahlbruckneri populations into genetic groups with considerable sub-structuring detected in the P. stachyoides population. The proportion of genetic differentiation among populations explained by geographical distance was estimated by Mantel tests. No spatial correlation was found between genetic and geographic distances in both populations. Finally, a moderate but significant gene flow that could be attributed to insect or bird-mediated dispersal of pollen across the different kīpuka was observed. The results of this study highlight the utility of a multi-allelic DNA-based marker in screening a large number of polymorphic loci in small and closely related endangered populations and revealed the presence of genetically unique groups of individuals in both M. zahlbruckneri and P. stachyoides populations. Based on these findings, approaches that can assist conservation efforts of these species are proposed.
dc.format.extent 47
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10790/2649
dc.language.iso en-US
dc.relation.ispartofseries Technical Report HCSU - 036
dc.subject genetic diversity
dc.subject Melicope
dc.subject Phyllostegia
dc.subject gene flow
dc.title Population genetic structure of rare and endangered plants using molecular markers
dc.type Journal
dc.type.dcmi Text
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