Genetic analysis of silver-fir populations in the North Carpathian and Sudeten Mountains

Abstract

Seeds collected from individual trees in the 16 Carpathian and 2 Sudeten silver-fir (Abies alba) populations were studied with the starch gel electrophoresis in megagametophytes using 14 enzyme systems with 28 loci. The results show that the geographical distance between populations are in a small part reflected in genetic distances. There are two main groups of populations: Sudeten and Carpathian with a very big genetic distance between them. Other populations consist of a few small groups with low gene flow between them (N m = 3.286). About 80% of genetic variation is located within populations (F ST = 0.223). Average values for genetic multiplicity and diversity for Carpathian populations are as follows: number of alleles per locus: Na = 2.308, with effective number of alleles Ne = 1.552 and proportion of polymorphic loci 71.21%. The mean number of alleles per locus (Na) varied from 2.107 to 2.607 in population. The mean effective number of alleles per locus (Ne) ranged from 1.429 to 1.662. Average F is for Carpathian populations was -0.021, which means that there is small excess of heterozygotes. The average observed heterozygosity amounted to Ho = 0.275 and expected heterozygosity was He = 0.269. The dendrogram structure and presence of rare alleles found in silver-fir of Czech, and Slovakian populations allow for a hypothesis that in postglaciation the silver-fir moved into the Polish Carpathians not westward from the east but from the south along river valleys from some Balkan refuges, getting North bypassing the High Tatra Range. This way, a highly diversified set of populations originated, differ in the presence of rare alleles. This differentiation is not prevented by a relatively small flow of genes between populations. The calculated gene flow N m = 3.286 also indicates isolation between the populations. It means 3.3 immigrants per generation into the studied populations.

Relationship and genetic diversity of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) subspecies

“…album populations, the observed heterozygosity reaches the mean value of H o = 0.199, smaller than the expected from H-W law H e = 0.212 (Table 5). These values are comparable to those in Scots pine, but two times greater than those for silver fir (Lagercrantz and Ryman 1990;Lewandowski and Burczyk 2002;Mejnartowicz 2004). However, in all populations the observed heterozygosity is lower, H o = 0.252, than that expected from H-W law, H e = 0.292, ( Table 5).…”

“…album, where N a = 2.476 and N e = 1.734, and much closer to the mistletoe population parasitizing on the pine with N a = 2.06 and N e = 1.6 (Table 5). Genetic diversity of mistletoe population, described as a mean number of observed and effective alleles is surprisingly similar to the genetic diversity described in the European silver fir, with N a = 2.31 and N e = 1.54, and Norway spruce, with N a = 2.17 and N e = 1.26 (Lewandowski and Burczyk 2002;Mejnartowicz 2004).…”

“…abietis (PoL = 63.49%). The mean for all mistletoe subspecies is PoL = 72.18% (Table 5), and does not differ from that described for populations of Scots pine and fir trees, for which PoL = 71% (Lewandowski and Burczyk 2002;Mejnartowicz 2004).…”

“…As neither the controlled crosses nor the offspring of single mistletoe shrubs were available, we carried out the genetic analysis comparing the putative mistletoe leaf isozymes loci to the well-known isoenzyme zymograms of megagametophytes of previously studied host species of Abies alba and Pinus sylvestris, used as standard references Mejnartowicz 2001, 2002;Mejnartowicz 1996Mejnartowicz , 2004Mejnartowicz and Bergmann 2003). In the present work, allele numbering corresponds to isoenzyme Rf: the fastest allozyme migrating toward anode was marked 1, next 2, and so on.…”

Genetic variation of silver fir progeny from Tisovik Reserve population determined via microsatellite and isozyme markers

“…A comparison between the Sudeten and Carpathian Mts. silver fir in Poland was carried out by Mejnartowicz (2004) on 14 enzyme systems with 28 loci. He described the great Nei genetic distance (from 0.173 to 0.252) that separated the Sudeten and Carpathian populations and was the result of restricted gene flow between populations and their isolation.…”