Patterns of genetic diversity of Fagus sylvatica L. in Rodopi Mountains of N.E. Greece

<p>The taxonomic classification of European beech has been lately subject of long scientific discussions. Genetic variation at AFLPs, chloroplast microsatellites and variation in leaf morphology have been analysed in four populations of F. sylvatica in the greek Rodopi Mountains. The analysis of morphological traits reveals differences between the western and the eastern part of the Rodopi Mountains. Moreover, high levels of haplotype diversity were observed within populations, while in central and western Europe no variation at cpDNA markers was detected. Clinal variation patterns have occurred at both morphological and molecular markers, with the variation increasing from the west to the east. Differentiation among populations was found, as expected, stronger at maternaly inherited cpDNA. The results obtained in this study, can be explained either by considering the greek Rodopi an introgression zone between subspecies sylvatica and subspecies orientalis or by the existance of a main glacial refugial area. These scenarios are not mutually exclusive.</p> <p> </p> <p>Poster presented during the Systematics Conference 2008, Göttingen, Germany.</p

Additional file 1: of Methylome evolution in plants

Plant species whose methylomes have been analyzed by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS-seq) or by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). (PDF 277 kb

Additional file 3: of Methylome evolution in plants

Filtering of the methylomes used for the calculation of the mSFS. (DOCX 17 kb

Additional file 2: Figure S1. of Methylome evolution in plants

GMLs of different taxa measured by HPLC and WGBS-seq. Figure S2. Correlation between genome size and total number of repeats in the genome. (PDF 1044 kb

Additional file 1 of METHimpute: imputation-guided construction of complete methylomes from WGBS data

Figures S1-S12. (PDF 1832 kb

Complex fine-scale phylogeographic patterns in a putative refugial region of Fagus sylvatica L. (Fagaceae)

<p>This manuscript was accepted for publication at the Botanical Journal of the Linean Society on December 27, 2013.</p> <p>Broad scale chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) studies of beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em> L.) populations suggested the existence of glacial refugia and introgression zones in the south-eastern part of Europe. We choose a possible refugium of beech in northern Greece, Mt. Paggeo, which hosts a private cpDNA haplotype for beech, to conduct a fine-scale genetic study. We attempt to confirm or reject the hypothesis of the existence of a small scale refugium and gain understanding of the ecological and topographical factors affecting the spatial distribution of cpDNA haplotypes in the area. Our results reveal a high haplotype diversity in Mt. Paggeo, while the overall distribution of haplotypes show no significant correlation with the ecological characteristics of the beech forests. However, the private haplotype is found in high frequencies in beech forests located within or near ravines having a high spatial overlap with a relict vegetation type, occurring in ecological conditions found mainly within ravines. This result emphasises the importance of topography in the existence of glacial refugia in the wider area. Furthermore, haplotypes originating from two more widespread beech lineages in Greece are found on Mt. Paggeo, indicating a possible mixing of populations originating from a local refugium with populations from different remote refugia that possibly migrated in the area after the last glaciation.</p