Genetic diversity of the sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in Central Europe and the western part of the Balkan Peninsula and evidence of marron genotype introgression into wild populations

Abstract

The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is a widely spread and important multipurpose tree species in the Mediterranean area, which has played an important role in human history. Natural events, such as glaciations, and human influence played significant roles in the distribution and genetic makeup of the sweet chestnut. In order to better understand how natural and human-mediated past events affected the current genetic diversity and structure of the sweet chestnut, we analysed populations from Central Europe and the western part of the Balkan Peninsula, utilizing ten polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. The study revealed the existence of three genetically and, to a large extent, geographically distinct and well-defined groups of sweet chestnut populations. Two not entirely separated groups of populations were detected in the northern part of the studied area and one in the southern. Our results indicate that the genetic structure of sweet chestnut populations in Central Europe and the western part of the Balkan Peninsula is the result of both natural colonization events and significant and lengthy human impact. Furthermore, it has been proven that the gene flow between cultivated/grafted trees’ and wild chestnut stands can influence their genetic structure. However, our results reveal that cultivated-to-wild introgression in the sweet chestnut is dependent on the close proximity of chestnut orchards and naturally occurring populations.