V. Diaz et al., Random amplified polymorphic DNA and amplified fragment length polymorphism assessment of genetic variation in Nicaraguan populations of Pinus oocarpa, MOL ECOL, 10(11), 2001, pp. 2593-2603
Pinus oocarpa is the most widely distributed pine species of Mexico and Cen
tral America. The natural populations of Nicaragua have been affected by ex
tensive human activities. As a consequence, their size has been reduced, an
d there is a serious threat to the development of mature woodland. Knowledg
e of population structures and the genetic diversity of the species is requ
ired for the design of sustainable use and conservation strategies. Random
amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and amplified fragment length polymorphism
(AFLP) markers were used to assess the genetic variation among 10 populati
ons from three geographical regions of Nicaragua. Both markers revealed hig
h levels of diversity in these populations. G(ST) values and analyses of mo
lecular variance (AMOVA) found that most variation was within populations b
ut there is still a significant differentiation between populations indicat
ing that the populations sampled cannot be considered a single panmictic un
it. The partitions created by AMOVA also showed that there was little diffe
rentiation between populations of different regions, although cluster analy
ses based on RAPDs and AFLPs indicated a closer relationship among most of
the populations from a same geographical region. Management of P. oocarpa i
n Nicaragua should be aimed to maintain the high degree of genetic variatio
n within individual populations that is still observed even in some of thes
e highly degraded populations.