Spectrum of genetic diversity and networks of clonal plant populations

Clonal organisms present a particular challenge in population genetics because, in addition to the possible existence of replicates of the same genotype in a given sample, some of the hypotheses and concepts underlying classical population genetics models are irreconcilable with clonality. The genetic structure and diversity of clonal populations was examined using a combination of new tools to analyze microsatellite data in the marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica. These tools were based on examination of the frequency distribution of the genetic distance among ramets, termed the spectrum of genetic diversity (GDS), and of networks built on the basis of pairwise genetic distances among genets. The properties and topology of networks based on genetic distances showed a topology, characterized by a high degree of connectivity among nodes, and a substantial amount of substructure, revealing organization in sub-families of closely related individuals. Keywords: genetic networks; small-world networks; genetic diversity; clonal organisms