Do farmers reduce genetic diversity when they domesticate tropical trees? A case study from Amazonia

P. M. Hollingsworth, I. K. Dawson, W. P. Goodall-Copestake, J. E. Richardson, J. C. Weber, C. Sotelo Montes, R. T. Pennington

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch Articlepeer-review

66 Scopus citations

Abstract

Agroforestry ecosystems may be an important resource for conservation and sustainable use of tropical trees, but little is known of the genetic diversity they contain. Inga edulis, a widespread indigenous fruit tree in South America, is used as a model to assess the maintenance of genetic diversity in five planted vs. five natural stands in the Peruvian Amazon. Analysis of five SSR (simple sequence repeat) loci indicated lower allelic variation in planted stands [mean corrected allelic richness 31.3 (planted) and 39.3 (natural), P = 0.009]. Concerns regarding genetic erosion in planted Amazonian tree stands appear valid, although allelic variation on-farm is still relatively high.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)497-501
Number of pages5
JournalMolecular Ecology
Volume14
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 2005
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Genetics

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