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Microgeographic genetic structure and gene flow in Hibiscus moscheutos (Malvaceae) populations
Author(s) -
Kudoh Hiroshi,
Whigham Dennis F.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.2307/2446054
Subject(s) - biology , gene flow , fixation index , genetic structure , malvaceae , biological dispersal , genetic variation , ecology , botany , genetics , population , gene , demography , sociology
Microgeographic genetic variation in populations of a wetland macrophyte, Hibiscus moscheutos L. (Malvaceae), was investigated using allozyme polymorphism. The species is a self‐compatible insect‐pollinated perennial, and seeds are water dispersed (hydrochory). Six hundred plants were analyzed from eight brackish and two freshwater populations within the Rhode River watershed/estuarine system. The genetic structure of the populations was assessed by fixation indices and spatial autocorrelation analyses. The degree of genetic differentiation among sites and gene flow between all paired combinations of sites (M̂) was analyzed using three hypothetical gene flow models. Fixation indices indicated almost complete panmixia within populations, and spatial autocorrelations showed that genotypes were randomly distributed within sites, most likely the result of water dispersal of seeds. Allele frequencies were significantly different among sites, and estimated F ST indicated moderate genetic differentiation (θ = 0.062). Genetic differences between populations were mostly explained by a gene flow model that accounted for the location of populations relative to the tidal stream. The importance of hydrochory in affecting spatial genetic structure was thus suggested both within and among H. moscheutos populations.