Pollen gene flow and genetic isolation of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (Leguminosae - Caesalpinoideae) population and espatially isolated trees

Abstract

Studies of the mating system, pollen dispersal distance and isolation of populations and trees in landscape are fundamentals for to understand the effects of forest fragmentation on genetic diversity of tree populations. These studies permit to detect the effects of reproductive isolation, loss of genetic diversity and increase in the population inbreeding, as well as to define strategies for in situ conservation, germoplasm sampling for ex situ conservation and seed collect for environmental restoration. Within this contest, the aims of this project are to study by microsatellite markers the mating system, the pollen gene pool heterogeneity among different seed-trees, the distance of pollen gene flow and the levels of pollen isolation of a small Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. population located in a 4.8 ha forest fragment within the São José do Rio Preto municipality, North of São Paulo State. We also pretend to study these processes in open-pollinated seeds collected from spatially isolated seed-trees in pastures. Thus, all 112 adult trees living within the respective forest fragment will be mapped and genotyped and 450 open-pollinated seed collected from 15 seed-trees (30 seeds/tree), where five seed-trees will be located in the center of the population and 10 distributed near to the border of the population. Additionally, 15 seed-trees isolated in pastures will be mapped and genotyped and 20 open-pollinated seed collected of each one. The mating system analysis will be doing, using the mixed mating model, correlated mating model and paternity analysis. These analysis will also permit estimate the effective population size of adult trees and offspring and, them, determine the evolutionary potential of the present and future generation of the fragmented population. These results will permit understand important part of reproductive process, reproductive isolation of populations and trees and reproductive neighbour area in populations and isolated trees of C. langsdorffii. This study will also give the evolutionary potential of this population for in situ conservation and seed collect for germoplasm bank establishment and for environmental restoration.