Historical reconstruction of a relictual population of wild grapevines (Vitis vinifera SSP sylvestris, Gmelin, Hegi) in a floodplain forest of the upper Seine valley, France

Abstract

Wild grapevine (Vitis vinifera ssp sylvestris) is considered to be nearly extinct in its western range as a result of the expansion of American diseases combined with drastic hydraulic works in the region. In such a context, the discovery of a population of 120 individuals, offered an excellent opportunity to evaluate the status of the plant at the current edge of its western range. We focussed on the distribution patterns and the reconstruction of the history of the population through a combination of ecological and genetic data.Fifty-one individual plants present in a forest plot of 9.72 ha were studied. For each individual, geographical, morphological and growth strategy data were collected. Individuals were genotyped at 14 SSR loci.Most grapevines were clumped and their density varied between forest plots with different management over the past few centuries. Overall, the number of stems possessed by each plant ranged from one to nine. Heights varied from 14 to 24 m, with diameter ranging from 0.9 to 4.6 cm (mean ¼ 2.4 cm).The analysis of the genetic data showed that (i) no cultivar or rootstocks were present in the population; (ii) out of 57 individuals considered in this study, six were clones; and (iii) all 14 loci were polymorphic. Six groups were shown to be significantly related.In spite of a relatively high-genetic diversity, the population is currently at a critical state at the local scale because of the low chances of seedling survival for more than 1 year. The clones were also directly destroyed by human management.The ideal way to improve the status of the wild grapevine in the Bassée Forest would be to re-create zones of erosion as well as to create a strict conservation area or reserve encompassing the entire region.

Habitat features and genetic integrity of wild grapevine Vitis vinifera L. subsp. sylvestris (C.C. Gmel.) Hegi populations: A case study from Sicily

“…Arnold et al, 1998Arnold et al, , 2005Arnold et al, , 2010Lacombe et al, 2003) also silvicultural practices might have had a detrimental role in conservation of wild grapevine populations. But in Sicilian populations, forest management history, as well, can account for the relative abundance of grape sizeable plants.…”

“…oïdium, phylloxera, mildew), improper management of natural environment, etc. (Arnold et al, 1998(Arnold et al, , 2005(Arnold et al, , 2010Lacombe et al, 2003). Its decline, especially in central Europe, has further increased since the beginning of the 20th century.…”

“…In Sicily, the water flow of permanent large streams, as at PAN, MAN and SOS, most probably facilitated the long-distance dispersion of propagation material, like seeds or broken branches, promoting the establishment of new grape populations along the alluvial network (Arrigo and Arnold, 2007;Arnold et al, 2010). In these cases, plants were rooted on the stream banks even at some ten metres afar from the river edge.…”

“…Screes are isolated environments and, lacking the propagation role of hydraulic dynamics, in this context plants' dispersal more strictly depends on interactions between faunal and plant communities. As described for various Mediterranean habitats (Herrera, 1989;Matías et al, 2010) and in the floodplain forest of the Upper Seine Valley (Arnold et al, 2010), wild grape dispersal could be favoured by mammals (e.g. carnivores like red fox, stone marten, etc.)…”

“…Throughout the entire Europe only few small populations (usually including less than 10 individuals) still persist (Lacombe et al, 2003) and it is even reported that in the whole Upper Rhine Valley only 20 scattered plants nowadays survive (Arnold et al, 2005). Owing to such critical status of conservation, in the 1980s wild grapevine was included in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) list of endangered European species (Arnold et al, 2010), and several programmes for its legal protection and reintroduction have been promoted thereafter in some European countries (Arnold et al, 2005;. Accordingly, Maul (2004) emphasized that preservation of wild Vitis germplasm is a priority in the frame of the Council Regulation (EC) 870/2004, and indicated some main items for its conservation and valorization, such as assessment of residual sites in the wild, preparation of geo-referenced plants' inventory, propagation of residual populations and ex situ conservation.…”