Allelic Variation in the Amphitropical Disjunct Muhlenbergia torreyi (Poaceae: Muhlenbergiinae)

Abstract

Muhlenbergia torreyi occurs in the southwestern United States, northern Mexico, and northwestern Argentina. Allozyme data were used to evaluate genetic diversity within and among populations of this amphitropical disjunct species. Electrophoretic examination of 22 putative enzyme loci in 15 populations revealed high levels of genetic variation (P ranging from 64.7 to 82.4;H from 0.527 to 0.757) and high levels of genetic diversity (F ranging from −0.584 to −0.939). All populations possess high levels of heterogeneity (F 1S approaching −1, mean of −0.837) and exhibit lower levels of genetic fixation among populations (F ST mean of 0.127). A comparison of genetic identity values among populations from North and South America indicates that the genetic variation is slightly greater (I=0.93) in North America than in South America (I=0.96). A total of 51 alleles were shared among all populations, and four unique alleles were detected: two from North American populations and two from South America. It seems likely thatMuhlenbergia torreyi has dispersed to South America recently, because the populations there are less variable. Chromosome numbers, not determined by the authors, of 2n=20, 21 forM. torreyi and 2n=80, 82 forM. arenicola are reported.Muhlenbegia arenicola is first reported from South America.