We investigated the phenotypic variation of five morphological needle characters of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in three populations. Two of the populations occurred in bogs and the third one formed a degraded fresh pine forest showing some features of a dry pine forest. The greatest variation was found in characters a (needle length), b and d, denoting the number of stomatal rows respectively on the convex and flat sides of the needle. Conversely, characters c and e (average number of stomata per 2 mm of needle length on the convex and the flat side of the needle) were stable, with little interindividual variation. The two bog populations and the dryland population exhibited different sets of character correlations. The interpopulation differentiational detected on the basis of morphological character expression was markedly influenced by both the different edaphic conditions, and the distinct genetic structure of the studied populations
Provenance trials were designed to analyse the quantitative responses of tree species to environmental variables found in different experiment location. However, we have still limited knowledge how natural and artificial selection affects genetic variation of the species populations gather in such experimental sites. We have used bulked DNA-based RAPD and ISJ analysis to investigate genetic diversity and differentiation of Scots pine populations from two Polish locations of IUFRO 1982 provenance trial placed in Kórnik and in Supraśl. Applied categories of DNA markers differed in terms of revealing genetic diversity of the species. Ten RAPD primers applied in the study yielded a total of 75 bands, of which 21 (28%) and 15 (20%) were polymorphic in Kórnik and in Supraśl, respectively. Six ISJ primers revealed 42 bands of which 4 (9.52%) and 14 (33.3%) were polymorphic in Kórnik and in Supraśl, respectively. The genetic diversity and differentiation was low, as expressed by H e =0.071 and H e =0.085, and by genetic distance values which ranged from 0.0 to 0.240 (on average 0.081) and from 0.017 to 0.188 (on average 0.094) for Kórnik and Supraśl, respectively. Location of provenance trial appeared to have a significant influence on revealed level of genetic polymorphism and pattern of interpopulation differentiation. However, genetic structure found for analysed Scots pine provenances from IUFRO 1982 in Kórnik was also confirmed for Supraśl experimental site. In the light of available data we also discussed the influence of historical migration routes and gene flow on observed genetic variation of the species.
Abstract. scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is one of the most widespread forest trees in the world, ranging from southern Mediterranean mountains to eastern Siberia. 30 trees of Scots pine from the Miłomłyn Forest District were analyzed in terms of 7 nuclear and 8 chloroplast microsatellite DNA loci as well as 7 morphological needle traits. Nuclear microsatellites (Simple Sequence Repeats) have proved to be useful in studying phylogeographic and gene flow patterns in conifers and are being used to infer the demographic history of tree species. A population's genetic diversity, in fact, represents an important criterion which could be applied in planning future forest management and breeding. Additionally, many elements of Scots pine morphology, including needle traits, are subject to environmental modification. However, the adaptability of those traits remains, to some extent, under genetic control. The trees we investigated here are called Tabórz pine located in the northeast of Poland. This population is described as one of the best in Poland and even in Europe regarding bio mass production, ductility and wood quality. The aim of the study was to determine variation and genetic structure within this population. An analysis of phenotypic differentiation showed that the traits which differed the most between individuals were needle length, the number of serrations per 2 mm of needle length along the right edge and the number of stomatal rows on the convex side of the needles. In Tabórz pine, we detected 30 different genotypes with 87 alleles as well as 28 haplotypes with 30 alleles. We also revealed a slight excess of homozygotes, but the population is still in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The Scots pine population from Tabórz furthermore showed a higher level of genetic diversity compared to stands from other Polish and European regions. This diversity may be the main factor impacting on the population's wood quality and its breeding value.
The relict character of the Scots pine populations from the Tatra Mts. (Western Carpathians) was formed on scarcely accessible, ecologically extreme habitats, in areas which were not under human activity. An exhaustive genetic analysis of the Scots pine populations from the refugial locations in the Tatra Mts. (Poland) had not yet been. In this study, we characterize the genetic variation and differentiation of the relict Scots pine populations from the Tatra Mts., to provide information on their genetic resources and the conservation implications. Eight paternally inherited chloroplast microsatellite loci were used to investigate the genetic structure of 4 relict populations, which were compared with the natural populations from the Baltic region (5 populations from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and to a northern range from Russia (5 populations from the Kola Peninsula and Arkhangelsk Oblast). The four relict pine populations were characterized by a lower level of genetic variation when compared to the Baltic and northern populations, which was expressed in lower values of particular genetic parameters: numbers of alleles and haplotypes, haplotype genetic diversity, haplotype differentiation, and mean genetic distance between individuals in the population. Our results revealed a very high and significant genetic differentiation between all the analyzed populations, as well as between the three analyzed regions (PhiPT = 8%). Furthermore, the relict populations within a close geographic location showed higher differentiation (PhiPT = 5%) compared to the northern Russian and Baltic populations that were separated by tens and hundreds of kilometers. The relict populations of P. sylvestris from the Tatra Mts. deserve conservation efforts due to the fact that they are an important component if the species-poor Tatra forests.
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