Spatial pattern of multilocus phenotypes within a population of a tetraploid fern, Asplenium ceterach ssp. ceterach

Krízsik, V. and Kertész, M. (2011) Spatial pattern of multilocus phenotypes within a population of a tetraploid fern, Asplenium ceterach ssp. ceterach. Community Ecology, 12 (1). pp. 99-107. ISSN 1585-8553

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Abstract

We studied the intrapopulational genetic structure of a small rock fern subspecies Asplenium ceterach ssp. ceterach living in a fragmented habitat. The level and distribution of genetic variation are primarily affected by the colonization events, the reproductive properties of the species, and the short-distance (leptokurtic) dispersal of spores. These biological processes are at the same time strongly influenced by the geomorphological heterogeneity of the habitat. The individuals’ genetic variation was detected as multilocus RAPD profile. The spatially constrained portion of genetic variance within subpopulations was studied by means of variograms, i.e., the average genetic dissimilarity between the pairs of organisms against the separation distance. The range of reduced dissimilarity was 11–13 m. Mantel test proved that subpopulations are isolated by distance. The connected local population patches may create a metapopulation structure. This study also surveyed the adequacy of RAPD products to detect the low level of genetic variation of a polyploid plant population.

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