Fine-scale spatial genetic structure in a multi-oak-species (Quercus spp.) forest

Abstract

© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry © SISEF http://www.sisef.it/iforest/ 324 iForest (2015) 8: 324-332 Citation: Curtu AL, Craciunesc I, Enescu CM, Vidalis A, Sofletea N, 2015. Fine-scale spatial genetic structure in a multi-oak-species (Quercus spp.) forest. iForest 8: 324-332 [online 2014-09-05]Patterns of fine-scale spatial distribution of multilocus genotypes can provide valuable insights into the biology of forest tree species. Here we tested for the existence of spatial genetic structure (SGS) in a four-oak-species forest with contrasting species abundances and hybridization rates. A total of 483 adult trees were mapped over 8.6 ha and genotyped using 10 highly polymorphic genomic regions. A weak but significant SGS was observed in each of the four oak species, with Quercus frainetto, the species with the lowest density in the sampling plot, exhibiting the strongest SGS. The values of the Sp statistic were 0.0033, 0.0035, 0.0042, and 0.0098 for Q. petraea, Q. robur, Q. pubescens, and Q. frainetto, respectively. The spatial correlogram of the total population was significantly different when hybrids were removed from the analysis, which suggests that hybridization influenced the SGS. Interspecific SGSs were significantly correlated with the rates of hybridization. Implications of the obtained results for the conservation and management of forest genetic resources are discussed. iForest 8: 324-332 325 © SISEF http://www.sisef.it/iforest/ iForest 8: 324-332 329 © SISEF http://www.sisef.it/iforest/

Genetic Insights into Ecological Succession from Oak- (Quercus robur L.) to Beech- (Fagus sylvatica L.) Dominated Forest Stands

“…Nevertheless, the levels of population genetic parameters found in our study were similar to those observed by other authors (Streiff et al, 1998;Cottrell et al, 2003;Curtu et al, 2015).…”

“…In the case of oaks, the recently proposed validated multiplexes of microsatellites were used mostly to study mating patterns (Lagache et al, 2014), interspecific hybridization processes (Lander et al, 2013) or species identification (Neophytou, 2013;Rellstab et al, 2016) rather than genetic diversity (Curtu et al, 2015;Moracho et al, 2016). Nevertheless, the levels of population genetic parameters found in our study were similar to those observed by other authors (Streiff et al, 1998;Cottrell et al, 2003;Curtu et al, 2015).…”

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure in the frankincense tree Boswellia papyrifera (Del.) Hochst. and implications for conservation

“…Commonly (e.g. Chamaecrista fasciculata (Fenster 1991), Heliconia acuminata (Cortes et al 2013)), higher gene dispersal distances tend to be found in low-density populations (Vekemans and Hardy 2004), although in mixed stands high tree density may limit dispersal by serving as a physical barrier to the movements of propagules (Curtu et al 2015). Our estimated gene dispersal distance was 103 m in Guba-Arenja and 124 m in the denser population in Kurmuk.…”

Morphological and Molecular Differentiation in Populations of Persian Oak (Quercus Brantii Lindl.) in Southwestern Iran

“…The balance achieved by a population among these factors determines its special genetic structure (Valencia-Cuevas et al, 2014). Genetic structure can be associated with geographical region, climate conditions (Neophytou et al, 2010), hybridization (Curtu et al, 2014), breaking of primary reproductive barriers (Valencia-Cuevas et al, 2014), altitude, historical movements, evolution, phenology and seed dispersal over a large area by animals (Ohsawa et al, 2007;Zhang et al, 2013 andWang et al, 2014).…”