Genetic variation in Arabidopsis suecica and its parental species A. arenosa and A. thaliana

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to estimate the level of genetic variation in Swedish accessions of the allopolyploid Arabidopsis suecica and its parental species A. thaliana and A. arenosa. The results showed clear differences among the three species with respect to the level of variation. A. arenosa was highly variable, A. thaliana showed a moderate level of variation whereas A. suecica was much less variable than the two other species. An extended analysis covering 19 Swedish populations of A. suecica corroborated the low level of variation in this species, yet 16 unique phenotypes were observed. No isolation by distance was observed. When the genetic variation was partitioned among and within populations of A. suecica, the results showed that the majority of the variation (81%) occurred among populations. This result is interpreted as a strong indication that A. suecica is autogamous in nature.