Genetic diversity in natural populations of Acacia mearnsii

Abstract

Twenty-three isozyme loci were used to examine genetic diversity within and between 19 natural populations of Acacia mearnsii De Wild. selected to represent its entire geographic range. Acacia mearnsii was found to have moderate genetic diversity (species level gene diversity H_T = 0.201) with the majority (89.2%) of variation occurring within populations. All measures of population diversity were higher in the northern (New South Wales) than the southern (Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania) populations. There was some evidence of differentiation between populations but no strong clustering at a regional level.