ANALYSIS OF GENETIC-RELATIONSHIPS OF CENTRAL-AMERICAN AND MEXICAN PINES USING RAPD MARKERS THAT DISTINGUISH SPECIES

Phylogenetic relationships were inferred for six Central American and Mexican pine species by analysing RAPD marker differences among pooled DNA samples. This population level pooling strategy discounts low-fre quency allelic variation within taxa, thus obtaining a 'cumulative gen otype' to compare among taxa. We used the morphologically based taxono my of pines as the basis for inference concerning molecular marker div ergence. Only RAPD polymorphisms that were repeatable and intensely am plified were used. The resulting data set was found to have strong hie rarchical structure. Phylogenetic analyses were carried out using both neighbour-joining and maximum parsimony. The phylogenetic relationshi ps indicated by analysis of the pine RAPD data provide new insights on pine taxonomy. The phylogenetic analyses of the RAPD marker data plac ed Pinus tecunumanii and P. patula clearly into two different subgroup s, strongly supporting the classification of P. tecunumanii as a disti nct species, and raise a new set of issues concerning the distinctions between Pinus tecunumanii and P. caribaea. Phylogenetically informati ve RAPD markers will be useful tools to address ex-situ conservation i ssues that involve taxonomic identification and species admixture.