Differentiatiing between Rhizophora mangle, Avicinnea germinans, Laguncularia racemose and Conocarpus erectus populations from Anlo Beach in the Shama District of Ghana using RAPD

Abstract

Abstract Mangroves cover about cover about 3.9% of the entire 550km coastal stretch of land from Eastern to Western region of Ghana. Despite the important ecological services and socio-economic benefits mangroves provide, they are increasingly exploited for domestic activities including fuel wood and therefore require immediate protection to prevent the few remaining populations from extinction. Rhizophora mangle (red mangroves), Laguncularia racemose (white mangroves) and Avicennia germinans (black mangroves) are the three most common mangrove species in Ghana. They mostly grow in association with Conocarpus erectus and many people classify Conocarpus as mangrove due to some common morphological characters they share. Though it is possible to distinguish between the three common mangrove species and Conocarpus erectus using morphological markers, it remains difficult to identify individuals in mixed populations therefore using molecular markers could enhance understanding and identification of the species. Genetic variation in Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemose, Avicennia germinans and Conocarpus erectus was studied using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). Intra-and interspecific variations were observed using ten out of 15 primers screened. RAPD markers were also used to produce similarity matrix among individuals of a species. A higher degree of polymorphism (94%) was observed within populations of Rhizophora mangle, Laguncularia racemose, Avicinnea germinans, and Conocarpus erectus while (6%) was observed among the populations. PhiPT-value of 86.3% (0.863) indicates considerable degree of difference between the mangrove populations and Conocarpus erectus, however, they shared some few common genes together. Knowledge from this research will help develop conservation strategies for mangroves and Conocarpus in Ghana.