Fertility Variation and Effective Population Size across Varying Acorn Yields in Turkey Oak (Quercus cerris L.): Implications for Seed Source Management

Abstract

This research examines the impact of varied acorn yields on the effective population size of Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) as assessed through the fertility averages of zygotic parents. We selected two distinct populations from the species’ natural habitats based on their good and poor acorn production rates to investigate acorn production, growth attributes, and their interrelationships over three years of production and two years of growth data. Results showed that the population with good acorn production exhibited greater growth attributes and acorn yields compared to the poor acorn production population. Acorn production had lower coefficients of variation compared to growth attributes. Fertility variation in both populations was moderate, with a decrease in the effective number of parents from the population with abundant acorn production to the one with limited acorn production. The presence of mixed seeds from diverse populations had a detrimental impact on fertility variation and related metrics. Nonetheless, this study suggests that regions with limited acorn production still have the potential for natural regeneration due to their larger effective population size when coupled with appropriate forestry practices such as selective acorn harvesting to enhance genetic diversity. These findings emphasize the importance of accounting for fertility variation in the selection and management of seed sources, even within the context of a limited area and three years of data. Further research should be conducted in larger populations and over longer periods to draw more comprehensive conclusions.