RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article
T1 High genetic diversity and population structure in the endangered Canarian endemic Ruta oreojasme (Rutaceae)
A1 Meloni, Marilena
A1 Reid, Andrea
A1 Caujapé‑Castells, Juli
A1 Soto, Moisés
A1 Fernández-Palacios, José María
A1 Conti, Elena
K1 Genetic diversity
K1 Diversidad genética
AB Insular species are expected to have lowgenetic diversity, for their populations are often small andisolated, and characterized by restricted gene flow andincreased incidence of inbreeding. However, empiricalresults do not always match this expectation. For example,population genetic analyses of several Canarian endemics,based mainly on allozymes, show levels of genetic diversityexceptionally high for insular species. To investigatewhether genetic variation in rare species endemic to CanaryIslands is low, as predicted by theoretical expectations,or high, as documented in some previous studies, weanalysed genetic diversity of the endangered Ruta oreojasme,a rare endemic of the island of Gran Canaria, usingmicrosatellite markers, which are more variable than allozymes.Our analyses identified very high levels of geneticdiversity (A = 7.625, P = 0.984, Ho = 0.558,He = 0.687) for R. oreojasme. Even though the distributionof the species is restricted to the South of Gran Canaria,only one population shows low genetic diversity, isolationand signs of a recent bottleneck/founder event. Someintrinsic characteristics of R. oreojasme (hermaphroditism,proterandry and polyploidy), the relative climatic stabilityof the Canarian archipelago during Quaternary glacials/interglacials, the size of most populations (thousands ofindividuals), its age, and the relative proximity of thearchipelago to the mainland might have contributed to thehigh diversity that characterises this endemic. As expected,given the marked topographic complexity of Gran Canaria,we found marked genetic structure in R. oreojasme populations.Our results support the observation that Canarianendemics are characterised by unexpectedly high geneticdiversity and provides important insights for potentialapplications to the conservation of R. oreojasme.
PB Springer
SN 0016-6707
YR 2015
FD 2015
LK http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/16481
UL http://riull.ull.es/xmlui/handle/915/16481
LA en
DS Repositorio institucional de la Universidad de La Laguna
RD 25-abr-2024