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Allozyme variation and structure of the Canarian endemic palm tree Phoenix canariensis (Arecaceae): implications for conservation
Electrophoretic analysis of 18 allozyme loci was used to estimate the levels and structuring of genetic variation within and among natural populations of the protected endemic palm species from the Canary Islands ( Phoenix canariensis ) to evaluate its genetic relationship with the widespread congen...
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Published in: | Heredity 2004-09, Vol.93 (3), p.307-315 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Electrophoretic analysis of 18 allozyme loci was used to estimate the levels and structuring of genetic variation within and among natural populations of the protected endemic palm species from the Canary Islands (
Phoenix canariensis
) to evaluate its genetic relationship with the widespread congener
P. dactylifera
, and to assess comparatively the genetic variation in the populations where the two species coexist with morphologically intermediate plants (mixed populations). Our survey revealed that the within-population component explains roughly 75% of the genetic variation levels detected in
P. canariensis
(
A
=1.59;
P
=41.8; He=0.158), which rank higher than those reported for other species of the Arecaceae. A Principal Component analysis (PCA) based on allele frequencies consistently separates populations of
P. canariensis
and
P. dactylifera
, and reveals a close genetic relationship between
P. canariensis
and the mixed populations. Reduced levels of genetic variation in
P. canariensis
with respect to
P. dactylifera
, the fact that the genetic makeup of the Canarian endemic (with no unique alleles) is a subset of that found in
P. dactylifera
, and the high genetic identity between both species strongly suggest that
P. canariensis
is recently derived from a common ancestor closely related to
P. dactylifera
. |
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ISSN: | 0018-067X 1365-2540 |
DOI: | 10.1038/sj.hdy.6800507 |