Utility of AFLP markers for the assessment of molecular relationships in Ceratozamia Brongn. (Zamiaceae)

The genus Ceratozamia has a distribution from Mexico to Central America. Molecular relationships were explored among Mexican Ceratozamia species using variable molecular markers, namely Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLP). Three AFLP primer-combinations generated 77 loci for a total of 1,684 fragments. Molecular variation was 75.72% among species and 24.28% within species, and a low orrelation was present between genetic and geographical distances. Cluster analysis produced a phenogram in which two distinct clusters are clearly recognizable, one including C. alvarezii, C. sabatoi, C. zaragozae, C. kuesteriana, C. mexicana and C. robusta, and another one with C. zoquorum, C. miqueliana, C. latifolia, C. microstrobila, C. hildae and C. morettii. The AFLP proved to be suitable to study the relationships among species of Ceratozamia, and the results corroborated those from previous morphology-based studies.