GENETIC CONSEQUENCES OF RARITY IN ASTER FURCATUS (ASTERACEAE), A THREATENED,SELF-INCOMPATIBLE PLANT

Aster furcatus is a rare, self-incompatible plant with fewer than 50 known populations throughout its range. We verified self-incompatibility in A. furcatus by conducting experimental self- and cross-pollinations and by examining seed set in a small population comprised of a single clonal genet. We examined variation at 22 electrophoretic loci in 23 populations of A. furcatus from across its range in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. Except for two rare alleles found in single individuals in three populations, all loci but one of those examined were fixed for single alleles. The only variable locus (triosephosphate isomerase, TPI-1) tended to exhibit genotype frequencies in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium or with a slight excess of heterozygotes. Although overall gene diversity was extremely low, TPI genotype frequencies were indicative of an outcrossing plant. We examined the subpopulation genetic structure among clonal plants within one Wisconsin population in greater detail. F statistics indicated that much of the genetic variation at the polymorphic TPI locus was due to differentiation among populations. We discuss the implications of self-incompatibility and low levels of genetic variation for the evolution and conservation of Aster furcatus and other rare plants with similar breeding systems.