Seedling growth characteristics in three birches originating from different environments

Abstract

The mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. czerepanovii) is considered to have originated through introgressive hybridization between B. pubescens and B. nana. It is intermediate between the putative parent species in terms of growth form and distribution. Consequently, we hypothesized that the mountain birch should have growth characteristics intermediate between the other two birch forms. This hypothesis was tested in an experiment using first-year seedlings. Only in three out of 15 characteristics studied were mountain birch characteristics clearly intermediate between B. pubescens and B. nana. In some cases the mountain birch was most similar to B. pubescens, while in others it resembled B. nana most closely. In certain other respects, B. pubescens and B. nana were more similar to each other than to mountain birch. In three measures of plant productivity, i.e., relative growth rate, leaf area productivity, and plant nitrogen productivity, mountain birch showed the highest values. Cluster analyses of thirteen growth-related characteristics indicate that at a low fertilizer supply, B. pubescens and B. nana are more similar to each other than to the mountain birch. At a high fertilizer supply, mountain birch was more similar to B. pubescens. The results indicate that the growth characteristics of mountain birch seedlings are not inherited from its two ”parent” species in any simple way.