Genetic structure of Cenococcum geophilum populations in primary successional volcanic deserts on Mount Fuji as revealed by microsatellite markers

Polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used to investigate the genetic structure in a Cenococcum geophilum population associated with Salix reinii in an early successional volcanic desert at Gotenba, on the south-eastern slope of Mount Fuji in Japan, and in three other populations associated with the same host at more developed sites on the mountain, one at Fujinomiya and two at Subashiri. The genotype richness of C. geophilum tended to be higher in more developed vegetation patches as well as in more developed sites, suggesting that genotype richness increased with advanced succession because new genotypes might have been introduced into these sites over time. High genotypic similarity was observed between the Gotenba and Fujinomiya populations but not between the Gotenba and Subashiri populations, suggesting that C. geophilum genotypes in Gotenba were introduced from the direction of Fujinomiya. Genotypes in the Gotenba population were clearly distinguishable into two groups. The absence of any intermediate genotype suggests the absence of frequent recombination in this C. geophilum population associated with early successional vegetation.