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Hoda A. Abd El-Hamid

  • Biodiversity Journal, 6 (4): 817-826

    Hoda A. Abd El-Hamid & Hassan Mansour
    Genetic diversity of Typha domingensis Pers. (Poales Typhaceae) and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Stued (Poales Poaceae) populations in lake Manzala coast and inland salines at Suez Canal region (Egypt) in relation to some ecological variables

    ABSTRACT
    Typha domingensis Pers. (Poales Typhaceae) and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Stued (Poales Poaceae) are important wetland plants, valuable in remediation of wetland environment from heavy metals; moreover they can be used in biofuel production. Determination of genetic diversity in their natural populations is important for species conservation and ecological restoration. The present study compared the genetic variability of four populations of T. domingensis and P. australis growing in Manzala lake coast and inland swamps in Ismailia and Sinai by using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. Nine primers generated a total of 175 RAPD bands (loci) of which 127 (72.57%) were polymorphic across all individuals of the two species. At Manzala lake coast (i.e. sites 3 and 4, contaminated sites), the genetic diversity measures (PPL%, I, h, Na, Ne) observed in the populations of the two species showed higher diversity in comparison to the less contaminated sites 1 and 2 (Ismailia and Sinai). Gene diversity within populations (hs) and total gene diversity (hT) at species level were lower in P. australis (0.0104, 0.0579) than in T. domingensis (0.0825, 0.1284). This study revealed also the presence of a significant correlation between genetic diversity measures of T. domingensis and P. australis with some edaphic variables and heavy metal concentration in soil of the studied sites and leaves of the two species. The previous correlation indicated that populations from sites 3 and 4 respond with increased genetic variation, resulting possibly from new mutations affecting allele frequencies, as a consequence of adaptation to changes or disturbances in the environment. This may indicate that increased diversity levels may act as a buffer to severe heavy metal stress, which explains the importance of monitoring the genetic diversity of T. domingensis and P. australis populations in detecting trends that should alert ecologists to potential problems.