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Population genetic structure and conservation of the Azorean tree Prunus azorica (Rosaceae)

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Abstract

Prunus azorica is an endangered tree endemic to the Azores Archipelago, considered as a top priority species for conservation. Although propagation measures have been studied in detail, and a broad phylogeographic study on P. lusitanica was recently published, a detailed population genetics study devoted to Azorean taxon was lacking. To determine extant patterns of population genetic structure in P. azorica, we analysed eight populations from the five Azorean islands where the species presently occurs and the only extant individual from Flores Island. We also included samples of P. lusitanica subsp. hixa from the Canary Islands and Madeira, and of P. lusitanica subsp. lusitanica from mainland Portugal. Genotyping was undertaken for eight nuclear microsatellite polymorphic loci specifically isolated for P. azorica. Accessions of the different geographic regions were used to sequence ITS and trnL DNA regions. Regarding SSRs, the number of alleles ranged from 5 to 37 (mean = 12.6) per locus and from 2 to 64 per population (mean = 24). Our analysis showed a clear separation between samples from the Azores and those from other regions. Overall, São Miguel populations seemed to encompass the majority of the variability found within the archipelago. Regarding the Azorean populations only, the highest percentage of genetic variation was found within populations (92 %). Still, about 7 % of the variation was found among populations within islands. Expected heterozygosity ranged from values near 0 in the most depauperate populations up to 0.18. With a few exceptions, the level of differentiation between Azorean populations was generally low and gene flow was clearly above 1. Analysis of ITS sequences also detected differences between the Azores and the remaining regions but the trnL region did not reveal any variation. The genetic identity of P. azorica was recognised and thus should be preserved; however, the present results suggest that the Azorean taxon should be reinstated at the subspecies level.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by DRCTC (Direcção Regional da Ciência, Tecnologia e Comunicações) and by FEDER and was part of projects VERONICA and DEMIURGO (MAC PCT). The Authors would like to thank the following entities and persons who contributed during the collection of some of the material used in the study: José Manuel Viveiros; Maria do Rosário Botelho, Direção Regional do Ambiente (Flores); Hélder Fraga, Direção Regional do Ambiente (Faial); Maria José Bettencourt, Direção Regional do Ambiente (Pico) and João Monteiro, Direção Regional do Ambiente (São Jorge).

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  1. CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Pólo dos Açores, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade dos Açores, Rua Mãe de Deus 58, Apartado 1422, 9501-801, Ponta Delgada, Portugal

    Orlanda C. B. Moreira, José M. Martins, Maria Graciete B. Maciel, Luís Silva & Mónica M. T. Moura

  2. Bioversity-France, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II, 34397, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    Julie Sardos

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  1. Orlanda C. B. Moreira
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  2. José M. Martins
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  4. Maria Graciete B. Maciel
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Correspondence to Orlanda C. B. Moreira.

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Moreira, O.C.B., Martins, J.M., Sardos, J. et al. Population genetic structure and conservation of the Azorean tree Prunus azorica (Rosaceae). Plant Syst Evol 299, 1737–1748 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-013-0829-3

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