Genetic Relationships among Schizolobium parahybum (Vell.) Blake (Leguminosae) Ecotypes from Ecuador and other Countries

Fifteen ecotypes of Schizolobium parahybum (Vell.) Blake collected in Ecuador (9), Brazil (3), Bolivia (1) Costa Rica (1), and Peru (1) were analyzed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPDs), Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms (AFLPs) and microsatellites (SSRs) in order to determine their genetic relationships and diversity patterns among ecotypes and to identify the origin of cultivated germplasm in Ecuador. Although AFLP markers were the most informative technique based on amplified products, SSRs clearly differentiated the ecotypes of Ecuador based on their geographical origin or genetic status into two groups: commercial ecotypes growing at western Ecuador very similar to the ecotype from Costa Rica, and native germplasm from eastern Ecuador and ecotypes from Brazil, Peru and Bolivia.