Broadhurst et al.— AFLP study of Metrosideros excelsa

New Zealand Journal of Botany abstracts

AFLPs reveal an absence of geographical genetic structure among remnant populations of pohutukawa (Metrosideros excelsa, Myrtaceae)

L. M. Broadhurst

A. G. Young

CSIRO Plant Industry
GPO Box 1600
Canberra ACT 2601, Australia

B. G. Murray*

School of Biological Sciences
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland Mail Centre
Auckland 1142, New Zealand

*Author for correspondence

Abstract Ten populations spanning the natural geographical range of Metrosideros excelsa (pohutukawa) were analysed using AFLP. All populations were highly variable showing levels of genetic diversity similar to other long-lived outcrossing tree species. UPGMA analysis of interpopulation genetic distances and multivariate analysis of individual multilocus genotype data showed genetic differentiation among populations, but there was no obvious relationship between genetic structure and geographical location. There was also no evidence of greater genetic variation in areas of New Zealand that have been proposed to be glacial refugia. These data provide a contrast to previously published observations on M. excelsa using chloroplast DNA, which showed that plants from putative glacial refugia exhibited higher levels of variation than those from non-refugial areas.

Keywords AFLP; genetic structure; Metrosideros excelsa; pohutukawa; revegetation

B07019 ; Online publication date 25 February 2008; Received 25 June 2007; accepted 26 November 2007

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