Nuclear and chloroplast microsatellites reveal high genetic diversity and structure in Platonia insignis Mart., an endangered species native to the Brazilian Amazon

Author(s)

Wellington F. Nascimento ^[1] ; Gabriel Dequigiovanni ^[2] ; Santiago L. F. Ramos ^[3] ; Caroline B. Garcia ^[4] ; Elizabeth A. Veasey ^[5]

Affiliation

^[1] Universidade Federal do Maranhão. Centro de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais - Brasil

^[2] Centro Universitário Univel - Brasil

^[3] Universidade Federal do Amazonas. Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Tecnologia - Brasil

^[4] Universidade de São Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiróz’. Departamento de Genética - Brasil

^[5] Universidade de São Paulo. Escola Superior de Agricultura ‘Luiz de Queiróz’. Departamento de Genética - Brasil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Acta Botanica Brasilica; v. 35, n. 3, p. 432-444, 2021-11-12.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Bacurizeiro (Platonia insignis) is a fruit of the Amazon that, due to anthropic actions, has been suffering serious damage to its genetic diversity. We analyzed the genetic diversity and structure of seven bacurizeiro populations distributed among four Brazilian states and two biomes, the Amazon and Cerrado, based on eight nuclear (ncSSR) and three chloroplast (cpSSR) microsatellite markers. Higher heterozygosity values were found for the Northern populations of Japurá and Marapanim, and the Northeast population of Chapadinha when using ncSSR. Higher diversity indices were also observed for these populations with cpSSR, although higher haplotypic diversity parameters were detected for the two Northern populations. Genetic structure analysis showed the formation of two well defined groups: I - populations from Maranhão and Piauí (Cerrado) and II - populations from Amazonas and Pará (Amazon). Positive and significant correlations were identified between genetic and geographical distances for both ncSSR (r = 0.09; p = 0.0010) and cpSSR (r = 0.11; p = 0.0008), in agreement with the genetic structure analysis. The high genetic structure among populations probably reflects the divergent natural and human selection pressures to which bacurizeiros are subjected in both the Amazon and Cerrado biomes, with higher diversity maintained in the Amazon populations. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 19/04100-6 - Phylogeography, evolutionary history and conservation genetics of Brazilian fruits: bacuri (Platonia insignis), hog plum (Spondias mombin) and umbu (Spondias tuberosa)
• Grantee: Elizabeth Ann Veasey
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants