Genetic structure in populations of Euterpe precatoria Mart. in the Brazilian Amazon

Euterpe precatoria is a palm tree belonging to the Arecaceae family, occurring in Western and Central Brazilian Amazonia Its fruit, which is very appreciated in the Amazon region, produces pulp that is consumed in fresh form. Its production is carried out almost exclusively by extractive farmers. In order to establish adequate strategies to sustain this genetic resource. We need knowledge about its diversity and genetic structure in natural populations. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of geographic distance on genetic structure in the main extractive populations of E. precatoria in the Brazilian Amazon. Leaves from 377 plants were collected in 19 populations located in 16 municipalities in the State of Amazonas and three in the State of Rondônia. Twelve microsatellite loci were used to genotype the plants. The diversity and genetic structure among populations were estimated. The average number of alleles per locus was 5.97. The observed heterozygosity means (HO) were higher t...