Abstract
The relict character of the Scots pine populations from the Tatra Mts. (Western Carpathians) was formed on scarcely accessible, ecologically extreme habitats, in areas which were not under human activity. An exhaustive genetic analysis of the Scots pine populations from the refugial locations in the Tatra Mts. (Poland) had not yet been. In this study, we characterize the genetic variation and differentiation of the relict Scots pine populations from the Tatra Mts., to provide information on their genetic resources and the conservation implications. Eight paternally inherited chloroplast microsatellite loci were used to investigate the genetic structure of 4 relict populations, which were compared with the natural populations from the Baltic region (5 populations from Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and to a northern range from Russia (5 populations from the Kola Peninsula and Arkhangelsk Oblast). The four relict pine populations were characterized by a lower level of genetic variation when compared to the Baltic and northern populations, which was expressed in lower values of particular genetic parameters: numbers of alleles and haplotypes, haplotype genetic diversity, haplotype differentiation, and mean genetic distance between individuals in the population. Our results revealed a very high and significant genetic differentiation between all the analyzed populations, as well as between the three analyzed regions (PhiPT = 8%). Furthermore, the relict populations within a close geographic location showed higher differentiation (PhiPT = 5%) compared to the northern Russian and Baltic populations that were separated by tens and hundreds of kilometers. The relict populations of P. sylvestris from the Tatra Mts. deserve conservation efforts due to the fact that they are an important component if the species-poor Tatra forests.
Highlights
The Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is the main component of forest ecosystems in Eurasia, and is a species of great ecological and economic importance
The genetic variation and differentiation of Scots pine populations from the refugial stands in the Tatra Mountains in Poland was assessed based on the polymorphism of cpSSR markers and was compared to the variations found in natural populations from the Baltic region and the northern edge of the species distribution
The comparison with populations representing the Baltic region and the northern extremity of the Scots pine range makes it possible to assess the variations found in the populations with different histories that evolved under varying selective pressures in different environments
Summary
The Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) is the main component of forest ecosystems in Eurasia, and is a species of great ecological and economic importance. This species of pine is characterized by a wide geographical range and extremely high tolerance to various environmental conditions (Labra et al 2006; Pravdin 1969; Tóth et al 2017b). Knowledge about the level of genetic diversity present in relict populations is an extremely valuable basis of the data used for preparing and carrying out protective activities, for these small and endangered populations and for the Scots pine as a species in general This is important in the case of a species that has been intensively cultivated in Europe for over 200 years. Research on the genetic variation of natural populations, or those not under forest management, is a rarity (Wojnicka-Półtorak et al 2017a, b)
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