XVI International Botanical Congess
Land rehabilitation has become an integral part of the mining process with the protection and management of threatened species a priority. We utilised two molecular techniques, RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA) and AFLP (Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism) to assess levels of genetic diversity in and amongst populations of Leucopogon obtectus at the RGC Mineral Sands Mine. RAPD and AFLP produced 77 and 213 bands respectively, of which 90% and 93% were polymorphic. Both RAPD and AFLP revealed no significant population structuring, with 85% (RAPD) and 89% (AFLP) of all variation amongst individuals. Consequently L. obtectus populations comprise a single homogenous unit. In terms of rehabilitation of the species, these results suggest that there is no provenance restriction on collection of propagation material.