Cec. Gemmill et al., CONSERVATION GENETICS OF THE ENDANGERED ENDEMIC HAWAIIAN GENUS BRIGHAMIA (CAMPANULACEAE), American journal of botany, 85(4), 1998, pp. 528-539
The endemic Hawaiian genus Brighamia (Campanulaceae) comprises two fed
erally endangered, morphologically similar species. B. insignis from K
aua'i and Ni'ihau and B. rockii from Moloka'i. To assist the design of
conservation management programs far these taxa, isozyme analyses wer
e performed to assess the levels of genetic diversity at the populatio
n and species levels, including comparisons within and among seven nat
ural populations and one ex situ collection each of B. insignis and B.
rockii. Our sampling (N = 80) represents similar to 41% of all known
individuals in the wild. Isozyme analyses revealed levels of genetic v
ariation comparable to those reported for other Hawaiian flowering pla
nt taxa hut low levels of genetic variation at the population and spec
ies levels when compared to flowering plants in general. Es situ indiv
iduals (N = 61) were genetically representative of natural populations
and hence may appropriately serve as stock for population augmentatio
ns. The two morphologically similar Brighamia species were highly dist
inct genetically. The combination of morphological and ecological simi
larity with allozymic dissimilarity observed in Brighamia is unique am
ong the Hawaiian taxa studied to date.