HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (32) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lienert, J. Articles by Diemer, M. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Lienert, J. Articles by Diemer, M. Agricola Articles by Lienert, J. Articles by Diemer, M.

Isozyme variability of the wetland specialist Swertia perennis (Gentianaceae) in relation to habitat size, isolation, and plant fitness¹

²Institut für Umweltwissenschaften, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland; ³Institut für Systematische Botanik, Universität Zürich, Zollikerstrasse 107, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland

We examined the effects of size and spatial isolation of fens on the isozyme variability of 17 populations of Swertia perennis. This long-lived perennial is a locally abundant fen specialist in Switzerland, where wetlands have been strongly fragmented. Isozyme variability was comparable to other outcrossing plants (A = 1.53, AP_p = 2.01, P_p = 42.5, H_o = 0.113, H_e = 0.139). F statistics indicated both inbreeding within and differentiation between populations (F_IS = 0.076, F_IT = 0.194, F_ST = 0.128), with moderate gene flow between populations (N_em = 1.703). Populations in small, isolated fens had reduced genetic variability and the highest within-population inbreeding coefficients (F_IS). Isozyme variability was significantly associated with vegetative fitness traits (MANOVA), and the magnitude of leaf herbivory decreased as the percentage of polymorphic loci increased. These data suggest that the reduced genetic variability of S. perennis in small, isolated populations may reduce plant fitness, thereby increasing susceptibility to herbivore damage. Our study also shows that habitat fragmentation can reduce the genetic variability of populations of fairly common habitat specialists, which so far have attracted less conservation attention than rare species.

Key Words: calcareous fens • F statistics • genetic variability • Gentianaceae • habitat fragmentation • isozyme electrophoresis • phenotypic fitness measures • population viability • Swertia perennis • Switzerland

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Lu, D. M. Waller, and P. David Genetic variability is correlated with population size and reproduction in American wild-rice (Zizania palustris var. palustris, Poaceae) populations Am. J. Botany, June 1, 2005; 92(6): 990 - 997. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]