Population genetics of Ryparosa kurrangii (Achariaceae), a rare lowland rainforest tree

Abstract

Ryparosa kurrangii B.L. Webber (Achariaceae) is a rare lowland rainforest tree found in dense, discrete populations between the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is one of many Australian rainforest trees thought to rely on the Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius johnsonii) for long-distance seed dispersal. A survey of chloroplast non-coding DNA found no genetic variation at any of four non-coding chloroplast loci. Seedlings of three populations separated by a mountain range were then examined for amplified fragment length polymorphisms. High levels of genetic diversity were found within each population. Only two percent of the variation in this s..