Effectiveness of neutral RAPD markers to detect genetic divergence between the subspecies uncinata and mugo of Pinus mugo Turra

Abstract

Fifteen populations of Pinus mugo subsp. mugo (shrub) and Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata (erect), located in the Alps, were investigated through genetic variation scored at 64 polymorphic RAPD loci. In addition, morphological traits of the female cones were analysed. According to AMOVA most of the genetic variation was found within populations (83.39%), and only 1.25% of it between subspecies. Populations differed in terms of their internal genetic variation, with Nei's gene diversity ranging from 0.227 to 0.397. Morphological data showed differences between subspecies, although none of the populations showed full accordance with expectations. Significant correlation was found between matrices for geographical and morphological distances, while genetic distances were not correlated with any other aspect. The efficacy of morphological and RAPD markers in discriminating between subspecies, and the contribution of the results in relation to the preservation of biodiversity, are discussed.

Molecular cytogenetics and flow cytometry reveal conserved genome organization in Pinus mugo and P. uncinata

“…This is not surprising since the populations of P. mugo analysed are restricted to subalpine and alpine belts, and such a spatial distribution is characterized by extreme variations in ecological parameters. Extreme environmental conditions may have important effects on different genetic processes, such as genetic drift and inbreeding, in isolated populations in alpine and subalpine belts (Slavov and Zhelev 2004), causing high within-and low among-population differentiation (Monteleone et al 2006). No differences in genome size that could have arisen from such pressures were observed between P. uncinata and P. mugo in our study.…”

“…Rila and Pirin, and some disjunctions in Italy and the western Alps) (Christensen 1987;Hamerník and Musil 2007), and the western division, encompassing P. uncinata populations distributed on the Iberian mountain ranges, Pyrenees, Massif Central and western Alps (Christensen 1987;Hamerník and Musil 2007). P. mugo s.s. and P. uncinata can be easily distinguished using morphological and anatomical characters in allopatric areas (Boratyńska and Bobowicz 2001;Boratyńska and Boratyński, 2007;Christensen 1987;Marcysiak and Boratyński, 2007), although molecular markers indicate the absence of species differentiation (Heuertz et al 2010;Monteleone et al 2006). There are two predominant hypotheses to define this situation taxonomically: the first treats these pines as independent species (Gaussen et al 1993;Prus-Glowacki et al 1998), while the second considers them as two P. mugo subspecies, mugo and uncinata (Ramond ex DC.…”

Patterns of larch establishment following deglaciation of Ventina glacier, central Italian Alps

“…There are approximately 170 ha of forest in the watershed, where European larch is the dominant tree species with Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karsten), Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) and mountain pine (Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata (Ramond) Domin (Christensen, 1987;Monteleone et al, 2006)) as co-dominant species throughout the subalpine zone. Two common subalpine shrub species, dwarf mountain pine (Pinus mugo subsp.…”

Nuclear microsatellite markers reveal the low genetic structure of Pinus mugo Turra (dwarf mountain pine) populations in Europe

“…P. mugo forms shrubs up to a few metres in height that inhabit the subalpine belt of mountain ranges in Europe (Critchfield and Little 1971). In the Alps, its range overlaps with another member of the P. mugo complex, Pinus uncinata (Ramond) Domin (mountain pine), a single-stemmed tree common in the Western Alps and the Pyrenees (Monteleone et al 2006).…”