Microsatellite and chloroplast diversity within Eucalyptus cloeziana

Eucalyptus cloeziana (Gympie Messmate) is considered a valuable timber species for hardwood plantations in Australia and overseas. It is the monotypic member of the subgenus Idiogenes and has a wide but disjunct distribution in eastern Queensland from Gympie to Cooktown. In this study, microsatellite loci and chloroplast DNA were used to determine the level of structuring of genetic diversity within and between populations of E. cloeziana sampled from across its natural distribution. Distinction of populations was greatest between populations from different geographic regions and is similar to that reported in a previous study using morphological characters and isozymes. The findings from this study will be important in the future domestication and breeding strategies employed for this species.