Genetic and historical studies on the origin of Norway spruce in Białowieża Primeval Forest in Poland

Abstract

Białowieża Primeval Forest lies within the boreal part of the Norway spruce range, which, according to pollen data, was formed by a refugium located in the Russian Upland. However, recent genetic studies have indicated that spruce from the Eastern Carpathian refugium also occurs in Białowieża Forest. In order to investigate whether the Norway spruce from the Eastern Carpathian refugium migrated naturally into the boreal part of the Norway spruce range, we assessed the refugial origin of 234 of the oldest Norway spruce individuals from Białowieża Forest using mitochondrial marker mt15-D02. Out of the trees that we studied, 64.8% carried mitotype 1, which is specific to the Carpathian refugium, while 35.2% had mitotype 3, specific to the Russian refugium. Our genetic analysis, combined with historical data on forest management in this part of Europe, argues for a natural contribution of spruce from the Eastern Carpathian refugium during postglacial recolonization of Białowieża Primeval Forest.