Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

A Concoction Pipeline for Generating Molecular Operational Taxonomic Units (MOTUs) Among Riparian and Aquatic Beetles
Published on: July 11, 2025
Genetic diversity and gene flow in a Caribbean tree Pterocarpus officinalis Jacq.: a study based on chloroplast and
1Biological System Department, CIRAD, Campus international de Baillarguet TA-A 39/C, 34398, Montpellier cedex 5, France. felix.muller@laposte.net
Abstract:
We analysed the molecular diversity of Pterocarpus officinalis, a tree species distributed in Caribbean islands, South and Central America to quantify the genetic variation within island, to assess the pattern of differentiation and infer levels of gene flow; with the overall goal of defining a strategy of conservation. Two hundred two individuals of 9 populations were analysed using three chloroplast and six nuclear microsatellite markers. The observed heterozygosity varied markedly among the populations for nuclear (H(Onuc )= 0.20-0.50) and chloroplast microsatellites (H (cp )= 0.22-0.68). The continental population from French Guyana showed a higher value of H(Onuc) than island populations, and the differences were significant in some cases. The fixation index F (IS) ranged from -0.043 to 0.368; a significant heterozygote deficit was detected in 7 populations. The heterozygosity excess method suggested that two populations in Guadeloupe have undergone a recent bottleneck. Global and pairwise F (ST) were high for both nuclear (F(STnuc )= 0.29) and chloroplast microsatellites (F(STcp )= 0.58). The neighbour-joining tree based on both markers, presented a differentiation pattern that can be explained by the seed dispersal by flotation and marine stream. The comparison of Bayesian approach and the method based on allelic frequency demonstrate a very limited number of migrants between populations.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Flow
Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
Genetic Variation
Genes exist in different versions called alleles, which...
Genetics of Speciation
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift

