Enzyme polymorphism of an antioxidant system in chronically irradiated Scots pine populations

Abstract

This paper studies enzyme polymorphism of the antioxidant system in endosperms and embryos of Scots pine seeds from the areas of the Bryansk region that have been contaminated by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. The mutation frequency in isozyme loci, the effective number of alleles, and the heterozygosity increase with the increasing dose absorbed in reproductive organs of pine. The experimental populations demonstrate the increased intrapopulation diversity and frequency of occurrence of rare alleles. The genetic differentiation of the studied populations is caused by the increased frequency of occurrence of rare alleles.