The Breeding System, Genetic Diversity and Pollen Sterility in Eucalyptus pulverulenta, a Rare Species With Small Disjunct Populations

Abstract

There are eight known populations of E. pulverulenta, which has a disjunct distribution in south-eastern Australia. Levels of genetic variation were studied in four populations of about 5000 plants in all. Of a total of 16 allozyme loci examined eight were polymorphic, but the level of polymorphism was generally low. Within populations there was a mean 1.42 alleles per locus. Both the total species and mean population genetic diversities were low for a tree species (0.10 and 0.07 respectively), while the between-population genetic diversity was high at 30%. These data are consistent with the effects expected of genetic drift. Population structure may thus have been critical in determining levels of genetic diversity throughout the species' range.

Analysis of half-sib arrays in three populations showed that the mean outcrossing rate (t) was 70%, comparable to values from other Eucalyptus species. The mean level of inbreeding (Wright's F) was 0.19, although both F and t varied considerably between populations. Significant levels of pollen sterility have been reported in this species, and data presented here show that this trait extends through much of the species' range. Overall, these data suggest that neither its disjunct population structure nor its tendency to male sterility caused the species' detectable level of outcrossing to differ markedly from levels reported in other eucalypt species. However, it remains possible that pollen sterility may have had some effect in at least one population. Strategies for conservation of this rare species are also considered.