Assessement of ecological impact on genetic diversity among populations of Rubus idaeus L.

Abstract

The genetic diversity of Rubus idaeus L. both within and among the populations in different ecological conditions was compared. The diversity of RAPD markers was studied in 136 plants of the wild raspberry from seven populations sampled in Lithuania. The results showed a high level of DNA polymorphism in R. idaeus populations. The seven privers used in this study amplified 73 reproducible DNA fragments of which 89.04% were polymorphic. The size of these fragments ranged from 400 bp to 2530 bp. Eight RAPD loci were monomorphic for all the genotypes studied. We found no correlation between the genetic and geographic distances of the study populations. A relatively high genetic differentiation (GST = 0.164) among the populations was established. Assessment of the correlation between the genetic diversity values of the populations and the measures of ecological factors showed a significant negative association of the former values only with annual accumulated precipitation. Our results show that genotypic variability is greater under conditions differing from the ecological optimum of the species. Keywords: RAPD, population differentiation, Rubus idaeus