Genetic Diversity, Mating System, and Reproductive Output of Restored Melaleuca acuminata Populations are Comparable to Natural Remnant Populations

Empirical tests of comparability between restored and natural plant populations can be powerful tools for measuring progress towards restoration objectives, though they are rarely applied to critical metrics like genetic diversity, mating systems, and reproductive output via seed production. Here we compared these ecological and genetic measures for restored populations and nearby remnant reference populations of Melaleuca acuminata, a common understory shrub species of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region. Levels of diversity in 12 nuclear microsatellite markers developed for the species were moderate to high. Estimates of genetic diversity, mating system parameters and reproductive output (capsule width, capsule height, capsule volume [capsule width by capsule height], number of seeds per capsule or seed viability) were similar between restored and remnant populations. There was no evidence of genetic bottleneck effects in restored populations and allelic differentiation between restored and remnant populations at each site was low (D-ST <= 0.055). Results indicate that restored populations are comprised of genetically diverse local provenance material, and that pollinators are effectively delivering pollination-related ecosystem services equivalent to those at the reference populations.