Genetic variation at allozyme and RAPD markers in Pinus longaeva (Pinaceae) of the White Mountains, California

Abstract

We compared genetic diversity estimated from allozymes and from random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs) in a sample of 210 Great Basin bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva Bailey) from three groves in the White Mountains, California, USA. The White Mountains are the most westerly extension of bristlecone pine and home to the oldest known living trees. We assayed two forks of each tree to determine whether they originated from multiple seed caches of the Clark's nutcracker. Despite the limited and fragmented distribution of bristlecone pine, its level of genetic diversity was comparable to that of other pines, but lower than that reported for eastern populations of Great Basin bristlecone pine. Twenty-six of 36 allozymes were polymorphic (p(95) = 38.9%; p = 63.0%), with observed heterozygosity (H(o)) of 0.122 and expected heterozygosity (H(e)) of 0.134. The proportion of the total variation among populations (G(ST)) was only 0.011. The high proportion of trees with multiple stems was not due to germination in seed caches; only six of 210 forked trees had multiple allozyme genotypes. Of the 42 RAPD loci scored, 27 were monomorphic. Genetic diversity for RAPDs was nearly the same as that for allozymes (p(95) = 34.1%, H(e) = 0.130). However, the estimates of diversity and differentiation were much higher (H(e) = 0.321, G(ST) = 0.039) after excluding monomorphic loci.