A survey of genetic diversity and reproductive biology of Puya raimondii (Bromeliaceae), the endangered queen of the Andes

Puya raimondii Harms is an outstanding giant rosette bromeliad found solely around 4000 m above sea level in the Andes. It flowers at the end of an 80-100-year or even longer life cycle and yields an enormous (4-6 m tall) spike composed of from 15000 to 20000 flowers. It is endemic and currently endangered, with populations distributed from Peru to the north of Bolivia. A genomic DNA marker-based analysis of the genetic structure of eight populations representative of the whole distribution of P. raimondii in Peru is reported in this paper. As few as 14 genotypes out of 160 plants were detected. Only 5 and 18 of the 217 AFLP marker loci screened were polymorphic within and among these populations, respectively. Four populations were completely monomorphic, each of the others displayed only one to three polymorphic loci. Less than 4% of the total genomic variation was within populations and genetic similarity among populations was as high as 98.3%. Results for seven cpSSR marker loci were in agreement with the existence of a single progenitor. Flow cytometry of seed nuclear DNA content and RAPID marker segregation analysis of progeny plantlets demonstrated that the extremely uniform genome of P. raimondii populations is not compatible with agamospermy (apomixis), but consistent with an inbreeding reproductive strategy. There is an urgent need for a protection programme to save not only this precious, isolated species, but also the unique ecosystem depending on it.