Genetic Diversity and Age Class Structure of Seedlings and Saplings after a Mast Flowering of Bamboo in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Author(s)

Abreu, Aluana G. ^{[1, 2]} ; Grombone-Guaratini, Maria Tereza ^[3] ; Val, Talita Moreira ^[2] ; Zucchi, Maria Imaculada ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] EMBRAPA Arroz & Feijao, BR-75375000 Santo Antonio De Goias, Go - Brazil

^[2] Agencia Paulista Tecnol, Agronegocios Polo Ctr Sul, BR-13400970 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Nucleo Pesquisa Ecol, Inst Bot, BR-04045972 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PLANT SCIENCES; v. 175, n. 3, p. 319-327, MAR 1 2014.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Premise of research. Aulonemia aristulata (Dooll) McClure--an endemic Brazilian species--flowers, sets seed, and subsequently dies after many years of vegetative growth. After it has died, plants regenerate by seed germination on the forest floor. Because of the sporadic and unusual records of the flowering cycle and the difficulty of identifying individuals, few studies of the genetic structure of bamboo populations have been published. In this study, we investigated how the flowering event affects the genetic diversity among different populations and evaluated the genetic variability between two ontogenic stages. Methodology. We collected seedlings in July 2009 and saplings in February 2010 in two study areas. We investigated the genetic diversity using markers with different modes of inheritance: nuclear simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and chloroplast SSRs. Pivotal results. The nuclear genetic diversity of the study populations was higher than in other bamboo species. All populations had high and significant inbreeding values, indicating a deficiency of heterozygotes. In general, saplings exhibited less inbreeding than seedlings. Moreover, chloroplast genetic diversity was low, which may indicate that individuals share maternal ancestors. Conclusions. This study demonstrates that sexual reproduction, demographic history, and colonization patterns may contribute to population diversity. The decrease in plant density between ontogenetic stages (i.e., from seedling to sapling) was associated with a higher frequency of homozygotes in seedlings compared with saplings and could indicate intraspecific competition coupled with inbreeding depression as the main factor reducing plant density in bamboos. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/00138-4 - Genetic diversity and structure of Aulonemia aristulata (Döll) McClure, a bamboo species with potential phytotherapic activity
• Grantee: Maria Imaculada Zucchi
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 09/06817-3 - Genetic diversity and structure of Aulonemia aristulata Döll) McClure, a bamboo species with potential phytotherapic activity
• Grantee: Aluana Gonçalves de Abreu
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral