Mahogany, Swietenia macrophylla (Meliaceae) is the most valuable
hardwood species in Neotropics and is seriously threatened owing to
over-exploitation and habitat destruction. The population genetic
structure and mating system of S. macrophylla were studied in the
Brazilian Amazon for conservation purposes. Ten highly polymorphic
micro satellite markers were developed from an enriched genomic library
of S. macrophylla and combined in three multiplexed fluorescence based
genotyping systems. The number of alleles per locus ranged from
11 to 25 (mean = 15.8). The probability of genetic identity (7×10- 15) and
the probability of paternity exclusion (0.999998) found over all loci
indicate the high discriminating power of these markers.
The genetic structure was investigated in seven populations 8-
2,103 km apart. High genetic diversity was detected within populations
(mean He = 0.761, range 0.719-0.800) and a significant level of
inbreeding was found (f = 0.046, P