Distribution of Genetic Diversity in Beta patula Aiton Populations from Madeira Archipelago, Portugal

Carla Ragonezi (), Humberto Nóbrega, Maria Inês Leite, José G. R. de Freitas, Fabrício Lopes Macedo and Miguel Â. A. Pinheiro de Carvalho
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Carla Ragonezi: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Humberto Nóbrega: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Maria Inês Leite: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
José G. R. de Freitas: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Fabrício Lopes Macedo: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal
Miguel Â. A. Pinheiro de Carvalho: ISOPlexis Centre Sustainable Agriculture and Food Technology, University of Madeira, Campus da Penteada, 9020-105 Funchal, Portugal

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-15

Abstract: Beta patula Aiton is a crop wild relative (CWR) which belongs to the Gene Pool 1b and is considered a Critically Endangered species, and is present in very specific environments, such as the Desembarcadouro islet (DI) in Ponta de São Lourenço or Chão islet (CI) in the Desertas Islands. The ISOPlexis Center (University of Madeira) has been providing continuous support for its in situ conservation by keeping a management plan of wild populations and an ex situ conservation strategy through the storage of accessions in the ISOPlexis GeneBank. The present work intends to present the spatial distribution of genetic variability and diversity in these B. patula populations using eight polymorphic Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers. The overall results lead to the identification of three spots with a high genetic diversity. CI with a small cluster of individuals shows a genetic footprint different from DI, having unique alleles present in its population. DI has two distinct areas: the western area, with a higher individual density but with a lower genetic diversity and higher allele fixation; and the central area, with a lower individual count but with a higher genetic diversity and with the presence of unique alleles. Despite some genetic differences, the comparison of the two islets’ DI and CI populations shows that they have more similarities than differences. Analysis of the Molecular Variance, based on the hierarchical cluster, showed a 9% diversity between populations, 68% among individuals, and 23% within individuals. This data will be used for the establishment of a protocol to monitor and manage B. patula genetic diversity under a genetic reserve, subsequently contributing to the European Genetic Reserve network implementation and the protection of this important CWR.

Keywords: Endemism; crop wild relative; CWR; SSR; genetic reserve; in situ conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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