Genetic diversity in natural populations of Casearia sylvestris, a medicinal tree species from Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, using different molecular tools

Abstract

Casearia sylvestris Sw. (Salicaceae) is a tree species which occurs in the Cerrado and Atlantic Forest, and whose diterpenes are of great interest for the pharmaceutical industry. Several scientific articles have been published on its pharmacological properties. However, there are little information on its population genetic structure, information that would be essential for designing management programs for the species conservation and utilization. Two botanical varieties are traditionally considered, but the delimitation of these taxa is very tenuous. The present work intends to complement the studies on C. sylvestris population structure realized with SSR markers. Understanding the relationships between the two varieties is one of the goals of this study. Nine populations from São Paulo State, already analyzed through nuclear SSR, will be here analyzed with cpSSR and rDNA and cpDNA sequences. Also, SNPs will be searched in candidate genes related to the diterpenes pathway.