Affinities of Lantana camara in the Australia-Pacific Region

摘要

Analysis of Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers has identified affinities between Lantana camara in Australia and the South Pacific, and with Lantana spp. from the Americas, including Hawaii. One hundred polymorphic RAPD markers were analysed in L. camara from eastern Australia, several sites in Vanuatu and Fiji, and from the Solomon Islands. These were compared to L. camara from Hawaii and L. fucata, L. glutinosa, L. tileafolia, L. undulata from Brazil and L. urticifolia from Mexico. Within the Australia-Pacific region there is strong affinity between L. camara in Australia, Fiji and Vanuatu. When compared with the species from the New World, L. camara from all three countries demonstrates an affinity only to L. urticifolia. This suggests that L urticifolia is the likely progenitor of lantana in Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji, which is consistent with recent morphological analysis. By contrast, the material analysed from the Solomon Islands showed little affinity to L. camara in Australia, Vanuatu or Fiji or any of the Lantana spp. from the New World. However, there was a close affinity between L. camara from the Solomon Islands and Maui (Hawaii). The knowledge of the affinities between the infestations of L. camara in the Australia-Pacific region has already been integrated into the ongoing biological control program.