Abstract
Eucalyptus graniticola is known from a single plant located on a granite outcrop south-east of Perth in Western Australia. Since its discovery in 1987, it has been uncertain whether this eucalypt is a relict species or a hybrid and, consequently, further study is required in order to devise appropriate conservation strategies. The similarity of features, such as leaf, bud and fruit morphology, to those of E. rudis, a common tree found in the vicinity, suggested that E. graniticola is a hybrid. This study uses random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis to demonstrate the additive inheritance of DNA markers from E. rudis and E. drummondii, the putative parent species, in E. graniticola. All the markers detected for E. graniticola using nine primers were shared with either E. rudis (40 per cent), E. drummondii (35 per cent) or both parent species (25 per cent). The DNA fingerprinting results, combined with other factors, such as the segregation of cotyledon morphology, demonstrate the hybrid origin of E. graniticola. As a result, conservation of this rare eucalypt should rely more on ex situ propagation and storage than on active management.
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Rossetto, M., Lucarotti, F., Hopper, S. et al. DNA fingerprinting of Eucalyptus graniticola: a critically endangered relict species or a rare hybrid?. Heredity 79, 310–318 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1997.159
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1997.159
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