Genetic Diversity in the Rare California Shrub Dedeckera eurekensis (Polygonaceae)

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Abstract
Dedeckera eurekensis is a rare, shrubby, perennial endemic to the Mojave Desert of California [U.S.A.]. Although many thousands of flowers are produced, only about 1% of the ovules mature into viable seeds and no seedlings or juvenile plants are known; hence this species is potentially threatened with extinction. Enzyme electrophoresis was used to determine levels of genetic variation within and between six populations. Dedeckera is surprisingly variable genetically as suggested by the relatively high number of alleles per locus (2.6), mean percentage of polymorphic loci (80.5), and mean heterozygosity (0.269). These results stand in contrast to the expectation of limited genetic diversity in other plant species with similar life histories and restricted distributions. A gene duplication has apparently resulted in a third PGM locus, which may be useful in phylogenetic studies of Dedeckera and related genera.