GENETIC-STRUCTURE OF A LINEAR POPULATION OF BETA-VULGARIS SSP MARITIMA (SEA BEET) REVEALED BY ISOZYME AND RFLP ANALYSIS

Knowledge of the genetic structure of plant populations is necessary f or the understanding of the dynamics of major ecological processes. It also has applications in conservation biology and risk assessment for genetically modified crops. This paper reports the genetic structure of a linear population of sea beet, Beta vulgaris ssp. maritima (the w ild relative of sugar beet), on Furzey Island, Poole Harbour. The rela tive spatial positions of the plants were accurately mapped and the pl ants were scored for variation at isozyme and RFLP loci. Structure was analysed by repeated subdivision of the population to find the averag e size of a randomly mating group. Estimates of F-ST between randomly mating units were then made, and gave patterns consistent with the str ucture of the population being determined largely by founder effects. The implications of these results for the monitoring of transgene spre ad in wild sea beet populations are discussed.