Abstract
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the most important tree species in Europe. Due to substantial genetic diversity and phenotypic plasticity, beech has successfully adapted to different environments within its natural range. Provenance tests provide a good basis for studying within- and between-provenance genetic variation, due to homogeneous within-trial environmental conditions. The aim of the present study was to determine the within- and between-provenance genetic variability of certain leaf morphological traits among eleven beech provenances, grown in a common garden experiment. Univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences among the studied beech provenances. Principal component analysis (PCA) allowed a complex assessment of the relationships among the provenances and an estimation of multivariate relations among the analyzed characters. The results of the study revealed the existence of substantial variability among provenances (p<0.001). Likewise, high genetic variability was observed at the intra-provenance level (p<0.001). The first three principal components (PC1-PC3) explained approximately 81% of the total variance among the European beech provenances tested. The highest contribution on PC1 corresponded to variables related to leaf size: leaf area (-0.882) and leaf width (-0.876). Based on the position of provenances on a PCA scatter plot, it could be assumed that European beech is characterized by a more ecotypic pattern of genetic variation rather than by clinal variation. Also, the presence of considerable genetic diversity within provenances will be important in the light of climate change impact on beech, since it could potentially facilitate rapid adaptation.
Highlights
Leaves are very important organs in plant production and adaptation to environmental conditions [1,2,3]
The objective of the present study was to determine the level of genetic diversity and to assess the within- and between-provenance variation of leaf morphological traits in European beech cultivated in a common garden experiment
Similar results were reported by Bayramzadeh et al [4], who studied the variation in certain leaf morphological traits in natural populations of Fagus orientalis in the Caspian forests of northern Iran
Summary
Leaves are very important organs in plant production and adaptation to environmental conditions [1,2,3]. The analysis of leaf morphometric parameters could present a valuable tool in studying the genetics, taxonomy, biogeography and evolution of tree species [4]. Numerous studies demonstrated that plants are able to adjust to habitat conditions by complex alterations in leaf morphological structure. Studies of leaf morphological traits found an important place in plant taxonomy as well. It is widely accepted that in Europe only European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Eastern beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) occur, several authors described a separate species, Balkan beech (Fagus moesiaca /Domin, Maly/Czeczott), which is identified on the basis of morphological traits, mainly of the leaf and fruit (cupule), which are found to be intermediate between those of F. sylvatica and F. orientalis [11,12,13,14]
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