Morphological and genetic differentiation in populations of the dispersal‐limited coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica): implications for management and conservation

Research on the coco de mer palm (Lodoicea maldivica) reveals that while populations on Praslin and Curieuse islands exhibit significant morphological differences—such as height, growth rate, and seed production—they show remarkably low genetic differentiation. This suggests high phenotypic plasticity and potential long-distance gene flow via wind pollination. The study analyzed 447 trees using morphological measurements and amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs), finding that the Curieuse population had lower genetic diversity but similar overall connectivity to Praslin populations. Given these findings, the authors recommend avoiding seed transfers between islands in restoration efforts due to uncertainty about adaptive variation.

Fleischer‐Dogley, F., Kettle, C. J., Edwards, P. J., Ghazoul, J., Määttänen, K., & Kaiser‐Bunbury, C. N. (2010). Morphological and genetic differentiation in populations of the dispersal‐limited coco de mer (Lodoicea maldivica): implications for management and conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 17(2), 235–243. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2010.00732.x