Abstract
Maclura pomifera, an autotetraploid, and Gleditsia triacanthos, a diploid, are ecologically similar dioecious tree species that often co-occur in early succession habitats throughout the mid-western United States. We studied levels of genetic diversity and patterns of genetic structure for four polymorphic enzyme loci of M. pomifera and 16 polymorphic enzyme loci of G. triacanthos from a single population in eastern Kansas. Levels of expected heterozygosity were high for both species, averaging 0.725 for M. pomifera and 0,366 for G. triacanthos. Although genotypes for nearly all G. triacanthos loci were in Hardy-Weinberg frequencies, three of four M. pomifera loci deviated from equilibrium expectations. Two aspects of genetic structure were explored. First, the extent of clonal growth was estimated by comparing genotypes of stems within 50 G. triacanthos and 32 M. pomifera clumps. The great majority of clumps contained more than one genotype, and in many clumps, all stems were genetically unique. Secondly, as revealed by spatial autocorrelation analyses, genetic substructure was very local for both species, with significant positive autocorrelation occurring only within clumps of individuals or among near neighbours. We argue that this pattern of spatial structure for both species results from extremely local seed dispersal and establishment of individuals from the same multiseeded fruit.
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Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements This work was funded by NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement grant BSR-851447 to JLH for AS, a University of Kansas General Research grant to JLH, and a grant from Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society to RHL. John Heywood kindly supplied the computer program for autocorrelation analyses. We also thank an anonymous reviewer, who made several thoughtful suggestions for improving the manuscript.
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Schnabel, A., Laushman, R. & Hamrick, J. Comparative genetic structure of two co-occurring tree species, Maclura pomifera (Moraceae) and Gleditsia triacanthos (Leguminosae). Heredity 67, 357–364 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1991.99
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