Genetic Structure in Populations of Euterpe precatoria Mart. in the Brazilian Amazon

Abstract

Euterpe precatoria is a palm tree belonging to the Arecaceae family, occurring in Western and Central Brazilian Amazonia. Its fruit, which is very appreciated in the Amazon region, produces pulp that is consumed in fresh form. Its production is carried out almost exclusively by extractive farmers. In order to establish adequate strategies to sustain this genetic resource, we need knowledge about the diversity and genetic structure in natural populations. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of geographic distance on genetic structure in the main extractive populations of E. precatoria in the Brazilian Amazon. Leaves from 377 plants were collected in 19 populations located in 16 municipalities in the State of Amazonas and three in the State of Rondônia. Twelve microsatellite loci were used to genotype the plants. The diversity and genetic structure among populations were estimated. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.97. The observed heterozygosity means (HO) were higher than expected (HE) at the population level (HO = 0.72, HE = 0.66) and fixation index (f = -0.100) was negative. The FST value (0.1820) and the AMOVA results (Φ = 0.1796) showed population structure. The populations were clustered into three groups (K = 3) in the Bayesian analysis. The Discriminant Analysis of Principal Components (DAPC) confirmed eight clusters, with the populations close to those identified by the Bayesian analysis. The geographic differentiation was confirmed by the groupings obtained in the Structure analysis and the DACP function. Information related to phenotypic, genetic and environmental characterization of populations is important to guide conservation and management strategies and the formulation of public species management policies in Amazonia.

Complete chloroplast genomes and phylogeny in three Euterpe palms (E. edulis, E. oleraceae and E. precatoria) from different Brazilian biomes

“…E. precatoria is a single stemmed palm, predominantly found in the Brazilian states of Amazonas, Acre and Rondônia [20], in non-flooded areas [21]. This species is highly promising for açaí fruit extraction, as the state of Amazonas is already the second largest producer of Brazil [15]. Therefore, the establishment of strategies for E. precatoria domestication, conservation and management of populations is extremely necessary, in addition to the support of riverside communities and farmers to conserve this species based on their genetic diversity [15].…”

“…Euterpe oleracea and E. precatoria are the main sources for the production of açaí fruit pulp, estimated to be 760,000 tons in 2017, mostly in the northern region of Brazil (98,36% of the national production) [14,15]. E. oleracea is a multiple-stemmed palm, commonly found in the Amazon estuary, especially prevalent in the Brazilian states of Pará, Maranhão and Amapá [15][16][17].…”

“…Euterpe oleracea and E. precatoria are the main sources for the production of açaí fruit pulp, estimated to be 760,000 tons in 2017, mostly in the northern region of Brazil (98,36% of the national production) [14,15]. E. oleracea is a multiple-stemmed palm, commonly found in the Amazon estuary, especially prevalent in the Brazilian states of Pará, Maranhão and Amapá [15][16][17]. However, in the last 20 years, the intense demand for açaí fruit in Pará resulted in a significant loss of local tree species richness, which presumably is occurring after decades of thinning to reduce interspecific competition with açai palm trees [18].…”

“…This species is highly promising for açaí fruit extraction, as the state of Amazonas is already the second largest producer of Brazil [15]. Therefore, the establishment of strategies for E. precatoria domestication, conservation and management of populations is extremely necessary, in addition to the support of riverside communities and farmers to conserve this species based on their genetic diversity [15]. The fast growth of açaí (E. oleracea and E. precatoria) pulp production in the last decades and the threats of extinction for E. edulis indicate an urgent demand for new genomic resources in this genus, contributing to the understanding of the evolution and population dynamics of the species, which can result in the best planning of sustainable development and conservation [9,15].…”

“…Therefore, the establishment of strategies for E. precatoria domestication, conservation and management of populations is extremely necessary, in addition to the support of riverside communities and farmers to conserve this species based on their genetic diversity [15]. The fast growth of açaí (E. oleracea and E. precatoria) pulp production in the last decades and the threats of extinction for E. edulis indicate an urgent demand for new genomic resources in this genus, contributing to the understanding of the evolution and population dynamics of the species, which can result in the best planning of sustainable development and conservation [9,15]. Fortunately, high-throughput sequencing technologies have revolutionized how genomic data can be obtained for plant species and have allowed the complete assembly of the chloroplast genome for an increasing number of non-model species [22][23][24], while providing useful information for the study of genetic variation of native species.…”