Spatial Genetic Structure and Life History Traits in Cerrado Tree Species: Inferences for Conservation

Abstract

Spatial Genetic Structure (SGS) is correlated with life history traits and is affected by ecological and demographic processes. We discuss here the SGS within populations of three species from Cerrado Biome, Caryocar brasiliense, Dipteryx alata and Tibouchina papyrus, which vary in life history traits. Our working hypothesis was that self-incompatible and wind-dispersed species present no SGS due to long distance pollen gene flow. SGS analyses were based on polymorphism at microsatellite loci. Weak SGS was found for the three species, but the mammal dispersed species, C. brasiliense and D. alata, presented stronger SGS than the wind dispersed species. T. papyrus. Although D. alata presented the highest value of Sp (intensity of SGS), breeding system was not related with SGS because the other two self-compatible species presented contrasting patterns of SGS. The three species may be highly affected by fragmentation, especially the wind-dispersed species T. papyrus, due to endemism and habitat vulnerability.