DNA FINGERPRINTING OF PORTULACARIA AFRA Katherine Gladsky, Department of Biology, Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI RI-INBRE Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program Portulacaria afra grows across the veld habitat of South Africa’s Eastern Cape. P. afra is drought tolerant and switches from the C3 pathway to the CAM pathway when water stressed. It has an increased ability to store carbon and is being considered for use in carbon sequestration. Throughout the varied habitats of the Eastern Cape, P. afra plants have differing phenotypes. Perhaps this is an indication of differing ecotypes of P. afra. This study used DNA fingerprinting to search for genetic differences in these possible ecotypes. Leaf samples were collected from various sites across the Eastern Cape. DNA was isolated from the samples and the presence of DNA was confirmed in all samples using Rubisco primers. With the use of RAPD primers genetic differences were seen between leaf samples. More research needs to be done, but there is evidence indicating that there may be some genetic differences between the ecotypes of P. afra. Microsatel lite research will be continued with the help of Dr. Larry Wimmmers of Towson State University for further analysis of the P. afra DNA.
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