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First published online April 16, 2009; doi:10.3732/ajb.0800266 American Journal of Botany 96: 950-957 (2009) © 2009 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

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Spatial genetic structuring of baobab (Adansonia digitata, Malvaceae) in the traditional agroforestry systems of West Africa¹

² Department of Molecular Biotechnology, Ghent University (UGent), Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium ³ Laboratory of Applied Ecology, Faculty of Agronomic Sciences, University of Abomey-Calavi, 05 BP 1752 Cotonou, Benin ⁴ Behavioural and Evolutionary Ecology Unit, CP 160/12, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 50 Av. F. Roosevelt, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium ⁵ Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture and Ethnobotany, Department of Plant Production, Ghent University (UGent), Coupure links 653, B-9000 Ghent (Belgium)

ABSTRACT

This study evaluates the spatial genetic structure of baobab (Adansonia digitata) populations from West African agroforestry systems at different geographical scales using AFLP fingerprints. Eleven populations from four countries (Benin, Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Senegal) had comparable levels of genetic diversity, although the two populations in the extreme west (Senegal) had less diversity. Pairwise F_ST ranged from 0.02 to 0.28 and increased with geographic distance, even at a regional scale. Gene pools detected by Bayesian clustering seem to be a byproduct of the isolation-by-distance pattern rather than representing actual discrete entities. The organization of genetic diversity appears to result essentially from spatially restricted gene flow, with some influences of human seed exchange. Despite the potential for relatively long-distance pollen and seed dispersal by bats within populations, statistically significant spatial genetic structuring within populations (SGS) was detected and gave a mean indirect estimate of neighborhood size of ca. 45. This study demonstrated that relatively high levels of genetic structuring are present in baobab at both large and within-population level, which was unexpected in regard to its dispersal by bats and the influence of human exchange of seeds. Implications of these results for the conservation of baobab populations are discussed.

Key Words: Adansonia digitata • agroforestry systems • Malvaceae • genetic structure • spatial autocorrelation • West Africa

Received for publication 4 August 2009. Accepted for publication 14 January 2009.

FOOTNOTES

¹ This work was supported by Bioversity International and Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc., a Dupont Company, through a Vavilov-Frankel Fellowship and by Rothamsted International through its African Fellowship Program for the financial support in Europe. Additional funding for DNA fingerprinting and fieldwork was provided by the DADOBAT-Project (EU-Funding) and The King Leopold III Fund for Nature Conservation and Exploration. T.K. received a postdoctoral grant from Ghent University (BOF). O.J.H. is a Research Associate with the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS). T.K. and A.E.A. equally contributed to this work.

⁶ Author for correspondence (e-mail: tina.kyndt{at}ugent.be)

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