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High outcrossing and random pollen dispersal in a planted stand of Acacia saligna subsp. saligna revealed by paternity analysis using microsatellites

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Abstract

The mating system, patterns of pollen mediated gene flow and levels of genetic contamination were investigated in a planted stand of Acacia saligna subsp. saligna via paternity analysis using microsatellite markers. High levels of outcrossing were detected within the stand (t m = 0.98), and the average pollen dispersal distance was 37 m with the majority of progeny sired by paternal trees within a 50-m neighbourhood of the maternal tree. Genetic contamination from the natural background population of A. saligna subsp. lindleyi was detected in 14% of the progeny of A. saligna subsp. saligna and varied among maternal trees. Long distance inter-subspecific pollen dispersal was detected for distances of over 1,500 m. The results provide information for use in the breeding and domestication programme aimed at developing A. saligna as an agroforestry crop for the low rainfall areas of southern Australia.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Bronwyn Macdonald and Lyn Wong for assistance in the laboratory, Wayne O’Sullivan for assistance with morphological identification at the study site and Mathew Williams for assistance with statistical procedures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, SA, Australia

    M. A. Millar & I. Nuberg

  2. Department of Environment and Conservation, Science Division, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Bentley, 6983, WA, Australia

    M. A. Millar & M. Byrne

  3. CRC for Plant Based Management of Dryland Salinity, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, 6009, WA, Australia

    M. A. Millar, M. Byrne & I. Nuberg

  4. Faculty of the Arts and Sciences, The University of New England, Armidale, 2351, NSW, Australia

    M. Sedgley

Authors
  1. M. A. Millar
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  2. M. Byrne
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  3. I. Nuberg
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  4. M. Sedgley
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Correspondence to M. A. Millar.

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Communicated by O. Savolainen

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Millar, M.A., Byrne, M., Nuberg, I. et al. High outcrossing and random pollen dispersal in a planted stand of Acacia saligna subsp. saligna revealed by paternity analysis using microsatellites. Tree Genetics & Genomes 4, 367–377 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0115-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-007-0115-z

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