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Growth form and population genetic structure of Azorella selago on sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Part of: Antarctic Science International Bursary collection: Biosciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2008

Elizabeth Mortimer ,
Melodie A. McGeoch ,
Savel R. Daniels  and
Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
Elizabeth Mortimer
Affiliation:
Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
Melodie A. McGeoch
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
Savel R. Daniels
Affiliation:
Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
Bettine Jansen van Vuuren*
Affiliation:
Evolutionary Genomics Group, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa
*
*Author for correspondence:bjvv@sun.ac.za
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Abstract

Seven community complexes have been described across sub-Antarctic Marion Island, amongst these fellfield that comprise low plant cover dominated by Azorella selago Hook. f. Azorella is considered a keystone species since it forms nutrient rich environments for microarthropod communities and epiphytic plants. Two distinct growth forms typify Azorella, namely discrete cushions and continuous mats. Whether these continuous mats normally consist of a single large cushion individual, or whether several individual plants merge, interdigitating to form a continuous area, remains unclear. As such, it is important to obtain some measure of Azorella growth dynamics before embarking on phylogeographic studies. Previous genetic studies indicated that several microarthropod species are significantly substructured across Marion Island, but it remains unclear whether similar subdivisions characterize Azorella. We used chloroplast sequence data (trnH-psbA) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) to investigate these questions. No sequence variation characterized the trnH-psbA region in Azorella across Marion Island. In contrast, the AFLP results indicated that an A. selago mat comprises multiple individuals. We argue that mats can be formed through at least two processes namely fragmentation, where parts of the cushion plant die off creating open areas for the establishment of different individuals and/or high density of interdigitating individuals merging to form the mat. Fragment data further indicated significant substructure for Azorella across Marion Island (FST = 0.101, P = 0.01) and we attribute this to past vicariance.

Keywords

amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP)cushion plantfragmentationgenetic similarityPrince Edward Islands
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , August 2008 , pp. 381 - 390
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2008

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