2004 Volume 69 Issue 2 Pages 131-139
Genomic DNA from 6 representative individuals of Acanthus ilicifolius from 6 mangrove ecotypes of north-easten India was analyzed for RAPDs using 10 primers. A total of 158 amplification products were observed with an average 15.8 amplicons per primer out of which 51.89% were polymorphic. The polymorphic RAPDs were pooled and clustering was carried out based on mean similarities for individual populations. The dendogram showed group of ecotypes, which are near to each other into specific clusters. These results demonstrated that considerable inter-ecotype genetic variation exists in A. ilicifolius and this lack of genetic variation is not the reason for the morphological uniformity observed across the range of the species. At the inter-ecotype level ∼17 of RAPD loci (56.66%) detected through the use of 10 primers. The somatic cells of the species displayed 44 chromosomes, with no numerical changes at inter-ecotype levels with few alterations in chromosome type. The genome size further added a significant variability in the context of inter-ecotype divergence.
