6533b7dbfe1ef96bd1270037
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Genetic diversity and local population structure in Ambrosina bassii (Araceae, Ambrosineae), a Mediterranean relict species
Francesco Maria RaimondoAngelo TroiaAnna Geracisubject
Genetic diversityHabitat fragmentationSettore BIO/02 - Botanica SistematicaBiologyBiochemistryGenetic correlationSettore BIO/01 - Botanica GeneraleGenetic distanceAmbrosina bassii Araceae Island Sicily fragmentation Disjunct populations Genetic structure AllozymesEvolutionary biologyGenetic variationGenetic structureAlleleEndemismhuman activitiesEcology Evolution Behavior and Systematicsdescription
The effects of habitat fragmentation on the genetic structure of Ambrosina bassii are analyzed. The species, whose reproductive biology is mostly unknown, is the only representative of its genus and tribe and it is endemic to the central Mediterranean area. The selected study area was the island of Sicily, in which wild populations show a wide morphological variability and ecological amplitude. Patterns of within- and among-population genetic diversity in eleven Sicilian populations, occurring in six disjunct areas, were examined by means of allozyme electrophoresis. High levels of genetic diversity were found as shown by the mean expected heterozygosity (He ¼ 0.263), the percentage of polymorphic loci (P95 ¼ 65.3), the mean number of alleles per locus (A ¼ 2.0). Genetic differentiation between populations was relatively low (mean FST ¼ 0.091 and Nm ¼ 1.98). A very weak correlation exists between genetic distances and geographic distances between populations. Despite its restricted and fragmented geographical range, A. bassii showed (i) high levels of genetic diversity, mainly within populations; (ii) no genetic differentiation between populations and morphotypes.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-12-01 |