Genetic diversity of natural populations of Atriplex halimus L. in Morocco: An isoenzyme-based overview

Based on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, nine natural populations of At riplex halimus L., a perennial shrub, collected in different regions of Mor occo, were studied for their genetic variation using isoenzyme polymorphism of the highly active enzyme systems: esterases (EST), acid phosphatases (A CP) and glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT). Different allozyme frequ encies from 7 different loci were obtained for all populations of this halo phyte species. High levels of genetic diversity were revealed. The mean num ber of alleles per locus (A = 1.9-2.0), the percentage of polymorphic loci (p = 71.4-85.7) and the mean expected heterozygosity (H-e = 0.339-0.385) sh owed an important variability in all populations. Gene diversity was essent ially explained by the within population component. The between populations differentiation accounted for 8% of the whole diversity (FST, averaged ove r all loci, is 0.08). The relationships among the 9 populations were inferr ed from the Nei's genetic distances. Four major groups were formed. The nor thern population `Tanger', forming a unique group, was highly divergent fro m the other groups. It appeared that the genetic distance between all group s was related to the geographic distance that separates them.