Genetic structure of mangaba (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) populations in the cerrado region of central Brazil

Abstract

Mangaba tree (Hancornia speciosa Gomes) is a fruit species with a great potential for commercial exploitation, found in nearly all regions of Brazil and frequently found in the Cerrado biome. Information on the genetic variability of the populations in this biome is scarce. The purpose of this study was to characterize the genetic structure of eight subpopulations located in the states of Goiás, Bahia and Minas Gerais by using RAPD markers. The structure of genetic variability was evaluated by the analysis of variance of molecular data. The geographic distribution pattern of the variation among subpopulations was investigated based on the correlation between the matrices of geographic and genetic distances. A highly significant proportion of genetic variance was found among subpopulations, corresponding to 19.6 % of the total variation. The correlation between the matrices of geographic and genetic distances was not significant, showing that there is no spatial structure of the genetic variability among the subpopulations, with the RAPD marker loci used here. The high variability found among the subpopulations suggests that a strategy for in situ, as well as ex situ conservation, must be based on sampling a large number of local populations.