Using Ssr To Characterize The Ficus Gasparriniana-F. Heteromorpha Complex Of Sect. Ficus(Ficus, Moraceae) In China

Species richness, life-form diversity, morphological character variablity, and unique symbiotic relationships between figs and their pollinating wasps, could account for the great difficulty in classifying and delimiting Ficus species (Moraceae), especially in F. gasparriniana-F. heteromorpha complex that belong to subsect. Frutescentiae (sect. Ficus) Microsatellite analysis on12species,144samples belonging to F. gasparrinianaF, heteromorpha complex was carried out using18fluorescently labelled microsatellite primers (screened from60primers). The PCR products of each sample scanned quantitatively to gain fragment length. It shows that all samples were amplified successfully, a total of268allels were obtained and the number of alleles per locus varied from6to22with an average of14.9. SSR loci reveal high polymorphism (0.613<PIC<0.893); cluster tree shows the intimate relationships among the complex species (0.83<SM<0.97). Conclusions and some deductions are listed as follows:(1) F. tuphapensis clustered with F. trivia, indicates their intimate relationship, and F. tuphapensis belongs to subsect. Frutescentiae (sect. Ficus) rather than sect. Eriosycea.(2) That all samples of F. daimingshanensis share one clade with some samples belonging to F. heteromorpha, infers F. daimingshanensis should not be treated as a species but as a variant type of F. heteromorpha.(3) Clustering results of F. gasparriniana are complicatied, with four scattering clades. One clustered with F. erecta, then as a sister to F. formosana; two clades clustered with some samples of F. heteromorpha; and the forth clade clustered as a sister relationship with the branth, containing F. chapaensis, F. heteromorpha and F. daimingshanensis. Considered its relationship with F. formosana, F. chapaensis and F. erecta, F. gasparriniana also have relationship with F. pandurata. Introgression or hybridization may exsit among all these species. (4) F. abeli embed in clade of F. pyriformis, not in accordance with their significant differences in morphological and anatomical characters, which reminders interspecific gene exchange may occur recently.Complicated genetic relationships among F. gasparriniana-F. heteromorpha complex have already perplexed most species boundaries."Species" determined by morphological characters usually just a "dot" belonging to continuous variation gradient of complicated relation network rather then a real biology species. However, how to make the boundaries among biology species in the complex clear need a further more research.This study provides a new idea for complex studies of Ficus species, and also new taxonomic data on better understanding of the fig-fig wasps mutualistic system.