Chloroplast genetic structure and differentiation in natural populations of Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Leguminosae) from Argentina

Abstract

Chloroplast genetic structure and differentiation in natural populations of Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil (Leguminosae) from Argentina. Anadenanthera colubrina var. cebil is a native tree from South America distributed in Paranaense and Yungas phytogeographic provinces in Argentina. Individuals from four experimental sites were studied analyzing four cpSSRs loci. Levels of genetic diversity were estimated. Also, population genetic structure was investigated and differentiation of chloroplast genetic variability was estimated. Distribution patterns of chloroplast genetic diversity in the studied populations were consequences of genetic drift. The absence of seed-mediated gene flow between populations and putative historical expansion of Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest followed by fragmentation would have involved in the level of population genetic structure detected. The sampling sites from Paranaense Phytogeographic Province were the less differentiated of the total genetic variation