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Genetic variability of Bouteloua gracilis populations differing in forage production at the southernmost part of the North American Graminetum

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Abstract

Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama grass) native populations have been shown to be highly variable, however the genetic basis of this variability has not been well established. Determining the extent of genetic variability within and among plant populations have important repercussions for the management and conservation of species, and in particular for those subjected to intensive use such as forage plants. Using RAPD, this study was undertaken to investigate the genetic variability of four B. gracilis native populations developed in three grasslands and one shrubland at the southernmost part of the North American Graminetum in México. Significant differences in grass aboveground production were found among the study sites, while considerable genetic variation within each of the four blue grama populations evaluated was detected. The molecular analysis, based on 55 individuals, revealed a total of 108 scorable repeatable bands, with 99 of them being polymorphic (overall polymorphism= 91.7%). Within every population each individual was genetically distinct and no population-specific bands (fixed marker differences) were identified. Pair-wise ΦST comparisons indicated that the four blue grama populations examined were significantly different in their genetic constitution (P<0.001). AMOVA revealed that most of the genetic variation detected in Bouteloua gracilis was explained by intra- (88.53%), rather than by inter-population (11.47%) differences. UPGMA based on the ΦST values indicated that the blue grama population collected from the shrubland displayed the RAPD profiles that most differed among the study sites. Possible causes of these results could reside on intensive grazing reducing, and proper management conserving, the forage production and genetic diversity of blue grama native populations. Our results are consistent with previous studies analyzing population genetic variation in outcrossing grasses and, in particular, with ecological and cytological evidence for a high genetic variability in native populations of B. gracilis. The implications of our findings and prospective studies to be undertaken using molecular tools in the study of blue grama biology and ecology are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Campo Experimental Bajío, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias, Apdo. Postal 112, Celaya, Gto, 38010, México

    Gerardo Armando Aguado-Santacruz

  2. Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación para el Desarrollo Integral Regional-IPN, Unidad Sinaloa, México

    Norma Elena Leyva-López

  3. Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioquímica, CINVESTAV-IPN, Apdo. Postal 629, Irapuato, Gto, 36500, México

    Karla Iveth Pérez-Márquez & Juan Pablo Martínez-Soriano

  4. Especialidad de Botánica, Colegio de Postgraduados, Montecillo, Texcoco, Edo. de México, 56230, México

    Edmundo García-Moya

  5. Departamento de Ingeniería Ambiental y Manejo de Recursos Naturales, Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Apdo. Postal 3-74, Tangamanga, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P, 78231, México

    José Tulio Arredondo-Moreno

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  1. Gerardo Armando Aguado-Santacruz
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Correspondence to Gerardo Armando Aguado-Santacruz.

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Aguado-Santacruz, G.A., Leyva-López, N.E., Pérez-Márquez, K.I. et al. Genetic variability of Bouteloua gracilis populations differing in forage production at the southernmost part of the North American Graminetum. Plant Ecology 170, 287–299 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:VEGE.0000021706.12328.61

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