Genetic diversity and karyotype of Pitcairnia azouryi: an endangered species of Bromeliaceae endemic to Atlantic Forest inselbergs.

Plant species of various families, such as those of Bromeliaceae, occur on inselbergs where they are subject to geographic isolation and environmental conditions that can lead to genetic erosion. This, in turn, can result in the loss of natural populations due to homozygosis, or changes in ploidy that may lead to reproductive isolation. The genetic diversity of five natural populations of Pitcairnia azouryi was measured using nine microsatellite markers transferred from P. albiflos and P. geyskesii. Chromosome numbers and nuclear DNA content were also evaluated. The results indicated moderate genetic differentiation among populations (FST = 0.188), and significant gene flow (Nm = 1.073) in four of the five populations. P. azouryi has, predominantly, 2n = 50 chromosomes and DNA content of 2C = 1.16 pg, but the tetraploid condition was found (2n = 100 and 2C = 2.32 pg) in seedlings of an individual of the most geographically isolated population. The moderate level of genetic structuring observed for P. azouryi seems to be related to its disjoint geographical distribution and the locally aggregated spatial structure of the populations, which are isolated from each other, hindering the inter and intrapopulational gene flow. This interpretation was also evidenced by the mantel test (r = 0.777, P < 0.05). The occurrence of diploid individuals with tetraploid seedlings is indicative of events of eupolyploidization, possibly due to the environmental conditions of this geographically isolated population.