Genetic divergence between Brazilian Northern and Northeastern populations of Spondias mombin revealed with SNP markers

Abstract

Spondias mombin L. (family Anacardiaceae) is an arboreal and allogamous fruit tree native from southern Mexico to southeastern Brazil, with great potential for economic exploitation. This study aimed to evaluate the structure and genomic diversity of yellow mombin in Brazil’s North and Northeast regions using SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) markers. Significant genetic divergence was observed in the clustering analysis and dendrogram construction between the North and Northeast regions. The Mantel test identified a high positive and significant correlation (r = 0.78; p < 0.001), indicating isolation by distance. In the genetic diversity analysis, populations from the North Region presented a greater number of alleles (2.722, on average) and genetic diversity (HE = 0.1860) regarding the populations from the Northeast Region (2.509 alleles and HE = 0.1059). Although presenting greater genetic diversity, the North Region had a positive inbreeding coefficient (f) in three of the four studied populations, ranging from 0.0855 to 0.2421. The results obtained contribute to the understanding of the distribution of genetic variation and the conservation status of the yellow mombin populations in the two regions; they could also be used as a subsidy for developing conservation strategies and the genetic improvement of this species.