<p>Beech covers a broad range of mountains in central and northern Greece. The diversity of the species in leaf morphology and cpDNA patterns is presented in this study, using a representative sample of 40 populations. Leaf morphology is strongly influenced by environmental factors. Most of the cpDNA variation was distributed among populations, but a considerable variation was also observed within populations. The total diversity was very high for all regions. While there was an indication for phylogenetic subdivision, no strong spatial structure was detected suggesting complex postglacial migration patterns. Possible scenarios explaining this diversity pattern include the existence of several separated refugia in the region, the recolonization of mountains from different beech lineages and the formation of an introgression zone between two different beech subspecies in the eastern part of the country. Furthermore, diversity studies in two specific mountain regions confirm these scenarios and reveal the complex migration routes of different beech lineages.</p>
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<p>Presentation at a COST Action E52 Working Group meeting, "Evaluation of the Genetic Resources of Beech for Sustainable Forestry", Thessaloniki / Greece, May 5th-7th, 2009.</p
