Genetic Diversity Between and Within Astrocaryum acaule Mart. (Arecaceae) Populations

Aline Araújo Patrício Lima,Maria Teresa Gomes Lopes,Santiago Linorio Ferreyra Ramos,Júlio César Gonçalves De Souza,Edvan Alves Chagas,Mágno Sávio Ferreira Valente

doi:10.1590/2179-8087.005618

Abstract

Abstract This article sought to assess the genetic diversity within and between natural populations of Astrocaryum acaule by means of AFLP markers. Ninety individuals were sampled in three populations located in Manaus (state of Amazonas) across regions with different intensities of anthropogenic activity. Two clusters were differentiated by means of dendrograms and Bayesian cluster analysis, the first consisting of individuals from the Taruma-Acu population in an intensely agricultural region, and the second, of populations from UFAM and Tupe conservation areas. The physical isolation of A. acaule populations has resulted in good conservation of its genetic identity, since anthropogenic activity is an important modifier of the genetic diversity of natural populations. Genetic diversity was higher within populations (74.58%) than between them (25.42%), which means that we have to collect representative samples from each of the genetically distinct groups for genetic conservation of the species. Therefore, in situ conservation is recommended.

Highlights

AND OBJECTIVEThe Amazon region is rich in animal and plant diversity
The physical isolation of A. acaule populations has resulted in good conservation of its genetic identity, since anthropogenic activity is an important modifier of the genetic diversity of natural populations
The Astrocaryum acaule populations were studied in three distinct regions of the city of Manaus: the campus of the Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), the Julião Community located in the Tupé Sustainable Development Reserve (RDS) and Tarumã-Açu Community (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

AND OBJECTIVEThe Amazon region is rich in animal and plant diversity. Among the plant groups, palm trees of the species from the Arecaceae family stand out. Palm trees have different purposes, with usage in/as food and in construction, and generate by-products that are sources of income for the survival of Amazonian populations (Wallace, 2014). Having great potential for development in the region, the native palms of the Amazon are most present in the wild or semi-wild (Gomes et al, 2011), such as the Astrocaryum acaule Mart. Astrocaryum acaule has edible fruits with reduced size compared to Astrocaryum aculeatum (tucumã-do-Amazonas); its seeds are used for manufacturing biojewelery, being one of the species most frequently used for ring production in the Amazon region. As A. acaule is very small, it can be considered for interspecific improvement with A. aculeatum to reduce the size of this important Amazon fruit tree. There are already indications of the existence of natural hybrids between these species; the studies that verify the viability of this crossing are still in the initial phase of experimentation

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Results

Conclusion