Fragmentation and genetic differentiation among subpopulations of the endangered Hawaiian mint Haplostachys haplostachya (Lamiaceae)
- Author:
- Morden, C. W., Loeffler, W.
- Title:
- Fragmentation and genetic differentiation among subpopulations of the endangered Hawaiian mint Haplostachys haplostachya (Lamiaceae)
- Periodical:
- Molecular Ecology
- Year:
- 1999
- Volume:
- 8
- Pages:
- 617-625
- Subject:
- Hawaiian mints Endangered plants Genetics
- Summary:
- Once a prevalent species in the mid-elevation or xerophytic shrubland between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on Hawaii, was the Haplostachys haplostachya. However, habitat destruction in the Hawaiian biota has resulted in the loss of biodiversity in the native flora and fauna. This makes Hawaii the "endangered species capital of the world" that has been caused by: an increase in land use for agriculture, recreation, military activity, or community expansion, a displacement of native plant species caused by alien plants, grazing by feral animals, and the loss of pollinators through extinction. Recovery plans to protect these species were developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This was done in an effort to bring species numbers to a level that would allow for them to exist in self-perpetuating populations without the need for protection as was mandated by the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In order to do this, an understanding of the genetic diversity within populations of the species was first required. As a result, the purpose of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity that existed within and among subpopulations of H. Haplostachya by using random and amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers and to determine the effect that population fragmentation had on their genetic structure. In an effort to do this, plants from subpopulations on the cinder cones of Puu Ka Pele and Puu Leilani were investigated in addition to the shrubland of Kipuka Kalawamauna.
- Label:
- Botany
- URL:
- http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2074/10.1046/j.1365-294x.1999.00601.x
- Date:
- 1999
- Collection:
- Periodicals