Allozyme polymorphism in Austrocedrus chilensis (D. Don) Florin and Boutelje from Patagonia, Argentina

Genetic variability was estimated from allozyme electrophoretic patterns in 2 population samples of Austrocedrus chilensis (Cordilleran cypress), a native tree from the Andean Patagonian forest in Argentina. Peroxidase, esterase, leucine aminopeptidase and aspartate aminotransferase were analyzed in cotyledons of 7 day old seedlings which provided information on the allelic variation at 12 loci. The proportion of polymorphic loci, average number of alleles per locus and mean heterozygosity per locus were 41 %, 1.75 and 0.071 respectively. This last value is considerably lower than those reported for other species of conifers. The patchy distribution of the populations, the existence of natural barriers to gene flow and the low dispersion capacity of the seeds, may contribute to a reduced effective population size, which is compatible with the low level of polymorphism observed.