| Abstract Detail
Systematics Section / ASPT Caujape-Castells, Juli [1], Marrero-Rodríguez, Águedo [2], Baccarani-Rosas, Mario [1], Cabrera-García, Nereida [1], Vilches-Navarrete, Blas [3]. Genetic variation of the endangered Canarian endemic Atractylis arbuscula (Asteraceae): implications for taxonomy and conservation. ATRACTYLIS arbuscula is a Canarian endemic Asteraceae considered as threatened with extinction by the Spanish catalogue of endangered species that consists of two varieties which exhibit a disjunct distribution in the islands of Gran Canaria (var. schizogynophylla) and Lanzarote (var. arbuscula). While the populations from Lanzarote are within (or in the vicinities of) the Natural Preserve of the Archipiélago Chinijo, no protection instrument exists for their Gran Canarian congeners. The very low number of plants counted in the last censuses, low seedling survival, substrate instability, and the proximity of populations to beaten trekking tracks make up direct threats to the plant’s intrinsic survival capabilities. Conservation problems notwithstanding, A. arbuscula also poses an important taxonomic issue, as the morphological differences between the two varieties have not been examined in depth. The distribution of these taxa in two different islands, the extent of RAPD differentiation found, and the evaluation of the morphological differences pointed out by Sventenius set the stage, in the first place, for a possible taxonomic restructuring to hoist both var. arbuscula and var. schizogynophylla to subspecies category. Secondly, this result entails that any conservation strategy should consider the two varieties separately. Based on the values of genetic diversity and population structure indicators for var. schizogynophylla, in situ actions aimed at mixed subpopulation reinforcements and reintroductions (with specimens belonging to the same variety) seem advisable on the grounds that they might allow the habitat isolates to retrieve from eventual inbreeding depression and increase their diversity levels through the introduction of a new stock of genetic variation and the production of new genotypes that may have a higher selective value. The results discussed were generated with the help of Transformer-3 (see ID:91).
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1 - Jardín Botánico Canario \"Viera y Clavijo\", Molecular Biodiversity Labs and DNA Bank, Ap. de correos 14 de Tafira Alta., Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Spain
2 - Jardín Botánico Canario \"Viera y Clavijo\", Herbarium, Ap. de correos 14 de Tafira Alta., Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Spain
3 - Jardín Botánico Canario \"Viera y Clavijo\", Seed Bank, Ap. de correos 14 de Tafira Alta., Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35017, Spain
Keywords:
Atractylis arbuscula
Canary Islands
RAPDs
Conservation
Taxonomy.
Presentation Type: Poster:Posters for Sections
Session: 48-202
Location: Auditorium/Bell Memorial Union
Date: Tuesday, August 1st, 2006
Time: 12:30 PM
Abstract ID:144 |
