Capirona (Calycophyllum spruceanum Benth.) is a tree species of commercial importance widely distributed in South American forests that is traditionally used for its medicinal properties and wood quality. Studies on this tree species have been focused mainly on wood properties, propagation, and growth. However, genetic studies on capirona have been very limited to date. Currently, it is possible to explore genetic diversity and population structure in a fast and reliable manner by using molecular markers. We here used 10 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of 59 samples of capirona that were sampled from four provinces located in the eastern region of the Peruvian amazon. A total of 186 bands were manually scored, generating a 59 × 186 presence/absence matrix. A dendrogram was generated using the UPGMA clustering algorithm, and, similar to the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA), it showed four groups that correspond to the geographic origin of the capirona samples (LBS, Irazola, Masisea, Iñapari). Similarly, a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) and STRUCTURE analysis confirmed that capirona is grouped into four clusters. However, we also noticed that a few samples were intermingled. Genetic diversity estimation was conducted considering the four groups (populations) identified by STRUCTURE software. AMOVA revealed the greatest variation within populations (71.56%) and indicated that variability among populations is 28.44%. Population divergence (Fst) between clusters 1 and 4 revealed the highest genetic difference (0.269), and the lowest Fst was observed between clusters 3 and 4 (0.123). RAPD markers were successful and effective. However, more studies are needed, employing other molecular tools. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first investigation employing molecular markers in capirona in Peru considering its natural distribution, and as such it is hoped that this helps to pave the way towards its genetic improvement and the urgent sustainable management of forests in Peru.

Ulcumano, which is native to South America, is an important conifer in Peru. Molecular studies are scarce, limiting modern breeding and appropriate conservation activities. Currently, molecular markers are widely employed to explore genetic structure and diversity parameters of plant species in a fast and precise manner. The objective of this study was to analyze the genetic diversity and population structure of ulcumano in Peru by using DNA-based molecular markers. Nine Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used, while 95 individuals of ulcumano were sampled from three departments of Peru. A total of 265 DNA fragments were manually scored, but 247 of them were kept after removing the non-polymorphic markers. Genetic distances were calculated using R software based on Provesti´s coefficient. A dendrogram was obtained using the UPGMA clustering algorithm, showing no clear clustering. The principal coordinate analysis agreed with two population structure analyses, demonstrating that ulcumano is contained within two clusters, (i) Junín + Pasco, and (ii) Cajamarca, while very few individuals are intermixed. Genetic diversity parameters were estimated considering the two groups (populations) identified by STRUCTURE software. Nei's genetic diversity estimate varied between 0.22 and 0.28, while Shannon index ranged from 3.43 to 4.16. Population divergence (Fst) between the two clusters revealed low genetic differentiation (0.064). AMOVA analysis revealed that 87.31 and 12.69% of the total genetic variation were found within populations and between individuals, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first molecular study in ulcumano in Peru, and provides valuable information for the genetic improvement and sustainable management of this conifer in the country.

Capirona (Calycophyllum spruceanum Benth) is a tree species of commercial importance widely distributed in South American forests and is traditionally used for its medicinal properties and wood quality. Studies on this tree species have been focused mainly on wood properties, propagation and growth. Genetic studies on capirona are very limited to date. Today it is possible to explore genetic diversity and population structure in a fast and reliable manner by using molecular markers. We here used 10 Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) markers to analyze genetic diversity and population structure of 59 samples of capirona that were sampled from four provinces located in the eastern region of the Peruvian amazon. A total of 186 bands were manually scored, generating a 59 x 186 presence/absence matrix. We used R software to calculate genetic distances based on provesti coefficient. A dendrogram was generated using the UPGMA clustering algorithm and showed four groups that correspond to the geographic origin of the capirona samples. Similarly, a discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) confirmed that capirona is grouped into four clusters. However, we also noticed few accessions are intermingled. Genetic diversity estimation was conducted considering the four groups (populations) identified by adegenet package in R. Nei's genetic diversity estimate varied from 0.26 to 0.39 and Shannon index ranged from 2.48 to 2.83. AMOVA analysis revealed the greatest variation exist within populations (69.7%) and indicated that variability among populations is 31.5%. To our best knowledge, this is the first investigation employing molecular markers in capirona in Peru considering their natural distribution, and sheds light towards its modern genetic improvement and for the sustainable management of forests in Peru.