ELECTROPHORETICAL EVIDENCE OF VARIATION IN POPULATIONS OF THE FODDER LEGUME CHAMAECYTISUS-PROLIFERUS FROM THE CANARY-ISLANDS

Total protein seed electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of 18 germplasm accessio ns of the seven morphological forms of Chamaecytisus proliferus suppor ts the existence of three major gene pools for this endemic species of the Canary Islands. The first gene pool is formed by the two taxa end emic to the island of La Palma (C. proliferus ssp. proliferus var. pal mensis and C. proliferus ssp. proliferus var. calderae). The second ge ne pool was formed by those taxa endemic to the islands of El Hierro ( C. proliferus ssp. proliferus var. hierrensis), Tenerife and La Gomera (C. proliferus ssp. angustifolius). Finally the two taxa endemic to G ran Canaria (C. proliferus ssp. meridionalis and C. proliferus ssp. pr oliferus var. canariae) form the third gene pool. Patterns of seed pro tein variation obtained after SDS-PAGE also agree with previous hypoth eses concerning adaptive radiation as the main evolutionary process wh ich has taken place for C. proliferus within each island. Our results indicate that protein profiles can be useful macromolecular markers to understand the evolutionary history of oceanic island endemics.