The objective of this study was to generate information relative to the allele distribution and dynamics within and among populations of Araucaria angustifolia, a naturally-occurring conifer in the south of Brazil, being known popularly as "pinheiro-do-Paraná", "araucaria" or pine tree. In order to elucidate the levels and the distribution of the genetic variability, the population's genetic structure and the genetic distance among natural populations of this species with different levels of disturbance in different geographical areas were studied in detail. For this, samples of leaf tissue were collected from 328 adult individuals in nine natural populations in Santa Catarina State. To analyze the samples, the allozyme technique was applied in starch gel electrophoresis (penetrose 13%), with citrate/morfholine buffer. Nine enzymatic systems (PGM, PGI MDH, PRX, SKDH, 6PGDH, ACP, IDH and G6PDH) revealed 15 loci. The analysis provided values for He and Ho of 0.084 and 0.072, respectively. The general average of polymorphic loci was 73% in the species and 26.6% in the studied populations and the allele number per locus was 1.6. Wright's F-statistical estimates indicated the existence of inbreeding in populations (F IS= 0.148) and a low divergence among populations (F ST = 0.044). However, the inbreeding values were variable in different populations. Taken together, the results indicated that the greater part of the genetic variability is contained within populations. The working hypothesis that originally there was greater genetic diversity can be supported by these results which indicate that in the degraded populations the diversity indexes are lower in the degraded populations than those found in better-conserved populations. Thus the fragmentation of the forest followed by "araucaria" exploitation could have contributed to the genetic differentiation expressed through the allele frequency of the studied population.

Estudos citogenéticos da Apuleia leiocarpa foram realizados com o objetivo de determinar e montar o cariótipo da espécie. As sementes utilizadas foram coletadas na localidade de Cerrito, município de Santa Maria - RS. A pesquisa foi conduzida no Laboratório de Citogenética Vegetal e Biotecnologia do Departamento de Biologia da Universidade federal de Santa Maria - RS, nos anos de 1996 - 1997. Em metáfases de mitose foi encontrada uma variação no número de cromossomos de 20 a 28, sugerindo ser a Apuleia leiocarpa uma leguminosa com capacidade de polissomatia. O número de cromossomos da espécie é 2n = 2x = 26, distribuídos na fórmula cariotípica 20m + 4 sm + 2 t.

Cytogenetic studies of Apuleia leiocarpa were carried out in order to determine and arrange the species karyotype. Seeds were collected in Cerrito, Santa Maria - RS. The research was developed at the Laboratory of Vegetal Cytogenetics and Biotechnology of the Biology Department at the Federal University of Santa Maria - RS, during 1996 and 1997. A variation in the number of chromosomes from 20 to 28 was found in metaphases of mitosis. Such variation suggests that Apuleia leiocarpa is a leguminous with polysomy capacity. The chromosomal number of the species is 2n = 2x = 26, distributed in the karyotypic formula 20m + 4 sm + 2 t.