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(American Journal of Botany. 2008;95:542-548.) doi: 10.3732/ajb.2007283 © 2008 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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Bryophyte diaspore bank: a genetic memory? Genetic structure and genetic diversity of surface populations and diaspore bank in the liverwort Mannia fragrans (Aytoniaceae)¹

² Institute of Systematic Botany, University of Zürich, Zürich, 8008, Zollikerstrasse 107, Switzerl ³ Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Plant Taxonomy and Ecology, Budapest, 1117, Pázmány Péter s. 1/C, Hungary ⁵ Duke University, Department of Biology, 139 Biological Sciences Building, Box 90338, Durham, North Carolina 27708 USA

ABSTRACT

Propagule banks are assumed to be able to store considerable genetic variability. Bryophyte populations are expected to rely more heavily on stored propagules than those of seed plants due to the vulnerability of the haploid gametophyte. This reliance has important implications for the genetic structure and evolutionary potential of surface populations. A liverwort, Mannia fragrans, was used to test whether the bryophyte diaspore bank functions as a "genetic memory." If a diaspore bank is capable of conserving genetic variability over generations, the levels of genetic diversity in the soil are expected to be similar or higher than at the surface. Surface and diaspore bank constituents of two populations of M. fragrans were investigated. Genetic structure and diversity measured as unbiased heterozygosity were analyzed using three ISSR markers. Similar genetic diversities were found in the soil (H_s = 0.067) and at the surface (H_s= 0.082). However, more haplotypes and specific haplotype lineages were present in soil samples. The results suggest that the bryophyte diaspore bank has an important role in accumulating genetic variability over generations and seasons. It is postulated that the role of the diaspore bank as a "genetic memory" is especially important in species of temporarily available habitats that have long-lived spores and genetically variable populations.

Key Words: Aytoniaceae • bryophytes • dynamics • genetic memory • inter sequence simple repeat markers • Mannia fragrans • propagule bank • seasons • surface

Received for publication 12 September 2007. Accepted for publication 24 February 2008.

FOOTNOTES

¹ The authors thank H. During and an anonymous reviewer for their valuable comments on the manuscript and A. Humphreys, H. Korpelainen, and S. Boles for revising the language. This research has been supported by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA-T047156, NI 68218).

⁴ Author for correspondence (e-mail: hockzsofia{at}hotmail.com)

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