Spatial genetic structure of lowbush blueberry, Vaccinium angustifolium, in four fields in Maine

Expressed sequence tag – polymerase chain reaction (EST-PCR) molecular markers were used to infer spatial genetic structure of four lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) fields in Maine. Genetic structure was quantified at three spatial scales: (1) within apparent clones (intrapatch), (2) among clones within a field, and (3) among fields separated by as much as 65 km. Of five “clones” or putative individuals examined in the intrapatch study, two showed complete genetic homogeneity within the patch, while three showed some band differences at their edges compared with their interiors. These differences at the edges, however, matched adjacent clones (so-called “intruders”), from which it was concluded that lowbush blueberry exhibits a fairly tight, phalanx clonal architecture with no evidence of invasive seedling establishment within clones. No significant correlation between genetic and physical distance was found among clones within fields via several statistical approaches. Significant among-field genetic differentiation was found via AMOVA (Î(PT) = 8.4%; p