Distance between south-European and south-west Asiatic refugial areas involved morphological differentiation: Pinus sylvestris case study

16 p., mapas, tablas, gráf.The phenotypic differentiation of relic P. sylvestris in southern Europe and southwestern Asia was verified using thirty-two populations sampled from the Iberian Peninsula, Massif Central, Balkan Peninsula, Crimea and Anatolia. Twenty-one morphological and anatomical needle traits and 18 cone morphological characteristics were examined to describe the population diversity and differentiation. The needle characters were not correlated to those of cone. The differences between regions were significant based on 12 needle and 9 cone characteristics, suggesting spatial isolation. The differentiation between the Iberian and Anatolian populations was the highest, which indicates the isolation by distance. The high level of morphological differentiation was also found among Iberian populations, supporting the already known complex history of the species in that region. Populations within other regions were differentiated at lower levels; however, the West Anatolian populations differed morphologically from the eastern ones. The described pattern of morphological differentiation supports the idea of the long-lasting existence of P. sylvestris in the south-European and Anatolian mountain regions. To conserve this variation, seed transfer between regions in the forest economy should be restricted.The research was financially supported by The Polish Ministry of Science (Contr. No. NN303 360535) and partly by Institute of Dendrology.Peer reviewe

Morphological differentiation of leaves in the relict tree Zelkova carpinifolia (Ulmaceae)

Zelkova carpinifolia is a relict tree occurring in refugial zones of south-western Eurasia. The main aim of the study was the biometrical comparison of the leaf characteristics of the species sampled in three regions of Transcaucasia. We aimed to test the hypotheses that (1) leaves from vegetative (L) shoots would be larger and more variable than those from fertile (S) shoots, (2) the leaves from the same shoot type express geographic patterns of morphological differentiation, similar to pattern described for genetic markers and (3) to verify the systematic position of Z. hyrcana and Z. carpinifolia subsp. yomraensis. The plant material was collected from 5 populations of Z. carpinifolia, one of Z. hyrcana and one of Z. carpinifolia subsp. yomraensis. The total 1482 leaves, 713 from L- and 769 S-type were measured using 26 characters. Our results show very high level of differences between leaves from the L- and S-type of shoots. The majority of leaf characters did not reveal dependence neither on geographic latitude, longitude and altitude nor on the basic climatic data. The results of multivariate analyses of S leaves revealed three group of populations, namely from (1) Colchis, (2) eastern Caucasus (3) Talysh. Thus, our biometric analyses revealed similar pattern to the haplotypic differentiation of Z. carpinifolia detected using chloroplast markers described in the literature. We did not detected significant differences in the leaf characters between supposed Z. hyrcana and/or Z. carpinifolia subsp. yomraensis, when compared to Z. carpinifolia, thus not confirming their separate taxonomic status

Relationships among Cedrus libani, C. brevifolia and C. atlantica as revealed by the morphological and anatomical needle characters

The main aim of the present study was testing the value of the morphological and anatomical characteristics of the needles in distinguishing Cedrus atlantica, C. libani and C. brevifolia. Nine populations were sampled in their natural habit and 25 characters were used to describe the variation of the brachyblast needles and to analyze the differences between species. The results indicated that morphological and anatomical needle characters provide valuable tools in discrimination of the taxa. The scored differences were statistically significant, as revealed in the Tukey's t test, discrimination analysis and hierarchical analysis of variation. The results support treating C. libani, C. atlantica and C. brevifolia as independent species. © 2012 The Author(s).The collection of the majority of the material used in the present study was made possible through bilateral cooperation between the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spain) and unofficial cooperation between the Institute of Dendrology and the Faculty of Forestry of Kahramanmaraş Sutcu Imam University in Turkey. The study was partly sponsored by the Institute of Dendrology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.Peer Reviewe

Effect of geographic range discontinuity on taxonomic differentiation of Abies cilicica

Three populations of Abies cilicica subsp. isaurica and four of A. cilicica subsp. cilicica were analyzed using 35 morphological and anatomical needle characters with the implementation of multivariate statistical methods to verify the differences between subspecies. Moreover, the possible geographic differentiation of A. cilicica subsp. cilicica populations from the East Taurus and Lebanon Mountains was examined. Abies cilicica subsp. isaurica has been distinguished from A. cilicica subsp. cilicica by its glabrous young shoots and resinous buds. We detected that needles of A. cilicica subsp. isaurica are longer, broader and thicker, with a higher number of stomata rows, and larger cells of the epidermis, hypodermis and endodermis than A. cilicica subsp. cilicica. Additionally, A. cilicica subsp. isaurica needles have frequently rounded to obtuse-acute apex and resinous canals positioned more centrally inside the mesophyll than needles of A. cilicica subsp. cilicica. This indicates that a set of most of the tested needle characters can be used to distinguish the subspecies; however, any of characters enable that when used separately. Morphological and anatomical distinctiveness between these two taxa justify their recognition at the subspecies rank. Additionally, the populations of A. cilicica subsp. cilicica from the East Taurus and Lebanon are morphologically different. This geographic differentiation of populations is congruent with results provided by genetic analyses of nuclear microsatellites markers (nSSR)

Common juniper (Juniperus communis) from Neple on the Bug River

Juniperus communis (common juniper) is a shrub or small tree. Tree-like junipers are rare but important landscape elements. Even the largest junipers are rarely older than 100–120 years old. We would like to show some data on probably the oldest and by far the largest common juniper in Poland, blown down in 1957. It grew in village of Neple, in the park of the Bug and Krzna rivers (52.126°N, 23.517°E). Its age was estimated at c. 300 years, and it attained more than 10 m in height and c. 3 m circumference at 1.3 m above ground level. It was found that the basal part of the trunk was rotten inside, which makes it impossible to determine its exact age. The trunk with its main boughs was transported to the Kórnik Arboretum, conserved and preserved in the form of a monument until today. To our best knowledge, it was the largest common juniper in Poland and the second largest in Europe

European olive (Olea europaea) – the longest living organism in Mediterranean Europe

Olea europaea is the most emblematic tree of the Mediterranean region. It has been cultivated for about 6000 years for its fruit, oil, wood, and for medicinal and cultural purposes. The research data concerns the monumental olive trees in the region. The oldest and biggest known trees are in Lebanon, Israel, Greece, Albania and Italy. The oldest of those, ‘Sisters of Noahʼ (Lebanon) are believed to be 5000–6000 years old. The most numerous groups of monumental olives were reported from Apulia in Italy and Albania. The oldest and biggest olive trees could be remnants of ancient plantations from the Hellenic and Roman times, but this hypothesis should be confirmed in a detailed study

Population genetic structure of Juniperus phoenicea (Cupressaceae) in the western Mediterranean Basin: gradient of diversity on a broad geographical scale

Introduction, Material and Methods: The genetic structure and diversity of ten natural populations of Juniperus phoenicea L. from the western part of the species range have been studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Results and discussion: Among 10 analyzed primers only 3 reproduced consistently across successful PCR reactions and gave 45 loci. The percentage of polymorphic loci (P) and Nei’s heterozygosity (H e ) have average values of 64.9% and 0.177. The average expected heterozygosity of particular populations positively correlate with latitude and negatively with altitude (τ = 0.556, P = 0.025; τ = −0.494, P = 0.047, respectively). The proportion of genetic variation contributed by the differences between populations was low (G ST  =  0.056). The gene flow (N m) has an average value of 4.2, and was higher in subsp. turbinata (7.3) than in subsp. phoenicea (4.1). Significant proportion of the variation (ΦST = 0.106) was attributable to differences among populations, as revealed in analysis of molecular variance analysis of pair-wise RAPD distances. No evidence for isolation by distance was detected in Mantel test on genetic (ΦST) and geographic distances. European populations differed at a higher level from the African, subsp. phoenicea from turbinata (3.97% and 3.14% of total variance, respectively). The significant level of differences between European and African populations can result from (1) the earlier divergence and considerably low level of gene flow between them, or (2) a different mutation rate within population of different continent. Conclusion: The results suggest rather local forest economy with J. phoenicea, without seed exchange on large distance.The study was partly sponsored by the Polish Committee for Scientific Research, grant no. 2P04C 030 26 and partly by the Institute of Dendrology. The collection of plant material was made possible thanks to the cooperation between CSIC (Spanish Research Council) and PAS (Polish Academy of Sciences).Peer Reviewe

Weak Geographical Structure of Juniperus sabina (Cupressaceae) Morphology despite Its Discontinuous Range and Genetic Differentiation

In Europe, Juniperus sabina L. is a mountainous, rare species that creates small, scattered populations, suggesting their refugial nature. Recently, a new variety of this juniper, J. sabina var. balkanensis R. P. Adams et A. N. Tashev was described based on genetic studies. We expected morphological differentiation among isolated parts of the species range and between varieties, as was the case with other Mediterranean junipers. Cones, seeds and fragments of shoots from a total of 506 individuals were collected from 24 populations in Europe and for comparisons from three populations from Tian Shan. Almost all of the 16 analysed features significantly differentiated among populations and geographical regions as well as between the varieties, although most groups differed from others only in terms of a single feature. The thickness of cones, the width of shoots and the length of seeds were the most important features for differentiation. The geographical structure of the variation of J. sabina was weak, and comparative populations from Tian Shan were clustered with European populations, similar to the findings of a previous study on essential oils. We found slightly different patterns of variation of the two varieties of the species. The little intra-species differentiation could be the result of the long period of contact between nowadays distinct populations and their relatively late separation in the early Holocene