Genetic variation of Zoysia in Taiwan as analyzed by isozyme patterns and salinity tolerance

One hundred and eighty-two Zoysia spp. individuals (Z. matrella and Z. sinica) collected from the coast around Taiwan and Island Penghu were used as materials. They were transplanted to Taichung, and three to four months after transplanting, the zymograms of esterase and acid phosphatase were determined. There were 26 bands and 108 patterns in the esterase zymogram, and 9 bands and 12 patterns in the acid phosphatase zymogram. In the dendrogram based on the Euclidean distance analysis, the clones collected from the northern part of the east coast (EN, mainly consisting of limestone) had a longer distance to those from the other five regions. The distances between the clones from these five regions were shorter, in spite of the fact that the geographical distribution of Z. matrella and Z. sinica is different in these regions, probably due to the high ability of Zoysia spp. to hybridize interspecifically. Moreover, the clones from the EN region showed a lower diversity in both isozyme patterns and showed a lower adaptation to salinity due to the protection by calcium. It is concluded that the genetic variation of Zoysia in Taiwan as examined by isozyme analysis is more related to the specific adaptation to environmental factors in the habitats than to the taxonomic status.