Genetic diversity of scorodophloeus fischeri in the coastal forests of tanzania

Tanzanian coastal forests are diverse in endemic plant species, Scorodophloeus fischeri being among them. It was aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of S. fischeri within and among populations. The total genomic DNA was extracted from young leaves of S. fischeri using CTAB procedures and then determined genetic diversity using PCR-RAPD markers. 73.19% of 97 scorable bands were polymorphic. UPGMA showed three clusters, each being a distinct population. Partitioning of genetic variability indicated that 60% occurred within and 40% among S. fischeri populations. This implies that more polymorphic loci existed within S. fischeri populations than among populations. The genetic differentiation (Gst =0.252) but low gene flow among populations (Nm = 2.301). It was concluded that there is higher genetic diversity at molecular level within S. fischeri than among populations of this species. S. fischeri experienced different complexities of micro-environmental conditions within populations. Human activities created a significant barrier of gene flow among populations and each forest warrants conservation. Key words: Scorodophloeus fischeri, Genetic diversity, Variability, Differentiation, Geneflow, RAPD