Abstract
An allozyme study of populations of bracken, Pteridium aquilinum, revealed very low rates of intragametophytic selfing, on average 0.046, despite potential hermaphroditism and selfing of the gametophytes. The average number of genotypes per population was only 3.0 and mean heterozygosity equalled 0.015. Several populations consisted of only one genotype. The level of genetic divergence among populations was considerable. The mean value of the differentiation among populations (FST) was high (0.307) and the gene flow values were low, equalling 0.52 and 0.23 depending on the method of estimation. It is suggested that the life history of P. aquilinum, characterized by variable rates of spore production, vegetative reproduction, and the inefficiency of gametophyte growth and reproduction in established bracken stands, promotes genetic differentiation between populations. Key words: bracken, Pteridophyta, genetic variation, gene flow, mating systems.
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