Examining Genetic Diversity in Uniola paniculata Through DNA Fingerprinting

Uniola paniculata, most commonly known as sea oats, is the predominant dune grass along the southeastern coast of the United States. Sea oats possesses the ability to reproduce both sexually, through the production of viable seeds, and asexually, through vegetative proliferation. We utilized random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) to analyze clonal variation within four populations of Uniola paniculata. Fifteen individual plants were sampled from each of two young and two old populations on Waites Island, South Carolina. Four random primers yielded five polymorphic bands, allowing for the distinction of seven clones. Limited clonal variation was observed within the four populations studied. These results suggest very limited gene flow among populations and the predomination of vegetative proliferation as the most effective mode of reproduction