Acta 93.indd - Výzkumný ústav Silva Taroucy pro krajinu a okrasné ...

Acta Pruhoniciana 93: 69–75, Průhonice, 2009GENETIC DIVERSITY OF PRIMEVAL AND MANAGED POPULATIONS OFSILVER FIR (ABIES ALBA MILL.) IN SLOVAKIAGENETICKÁ DIVERZITA JEDĽOVÝCH PRALESOV A OBHOSPODAROVANÝCHPOPULÁCIÍ JEDLE BIELEJ (ABIES ALBA MILL.) NA SLOVENSKUAndrej Kormuťák 1 , Miriam Kádasi-Horáková 1 , Milan Saniga 21Institute of Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Akademická 2, SK-950 07 Nitra, Slovakia,tel.: ++ 421-37-6943 333, nrgrkorm@savba.sk2Technical University in Zvolen, Faculty of Forestry, T. G. Masaryka 24, SK-960 53 Zvolen, SlovakiaAbstractBased on two chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) haplotypes and four isoezyme population genetic parameters the genetic diversitywas derived for three primeval populations of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in Slovakia and for their managed counterparts.Altogether 14 populations were analyzed involving primeval and managed populations of the species at the adult tree leveland in regenerants. The proportion of the two haplotypes of cpDNA varied considerably but no significant differences weredetected between individual populations. At the isoezyme level the expected heterozygosity, as the principal component ofgenetic diversity, was higher in primeval stands Badín and Stužica than in their adjoining populations under management. Thereverse figure has however been typical for the populations in Dobroč. As to adult trees and regenerated progenies, the formerare characterized by a higher degree of expected heterozygosity in all the three primeval stands than in corresponding progenies.Key words: Abies alba – primeval populations – genetic diversityAbstraktNa základe dvoch haplotypov chloroplastovej DNA (cpDNA) a štyroch enzýmových systémov sa odvodili niektoré parametregenetickej diverzity troch jedľových pralesov na Slovensku a priľahlých populácií jedle bielej (Abies alba Mill.), ktoré sú obhospodarované.Celkove sa analyzovalo 14 populácií, a to na úrovni dospelých jedincov a regenerantov z prirodzenej obnovy.Pomer haplotypov cpDNA bol značne premenlivý, avšak medzi jednotlivými populáciámi sa nezistili významné rozdiely. Naúrovni izoenzýmov sa pozorovala vyššia očakávaná heterozygotnosť v jedľových pralesoch Badín a Stužica ako v priľahlých obhospodarovanýchpopuláciach. Opačná situácia bola však charakteristická pre lokalitu Dobroč. Pri všetkých troch jedľovýchpralesoch sa zistila vyššia očakávaná heterozygotnosť na úrovni dospelých jedincov ako u regenerantov.Kľúčové slová: Abies alba – pralesy – genetická diverzitaINTRODUCTIONExtensive dieback of silver fir in Central Europe has promptedin situ conservation programmes aiming at preservation of thevaluable populations and gene-pool of the species in the area.In particular it is true of the primeval populations of silverfir which occupy a special position in this respect. WithinEuropean context they represent the fragments of naturalforests that exhibit some marks of the past anthropogenicinfluences sharing simultaneously their preserved naturalcharacter (Falinski et al., 1986). A high degree of biologicaldiversity along with their naturalness and uniqueness are thosecharacteristics for which the virgin forests are highly valuedfrom the standpoints of forest protection and silviculture(Parvianen et al., 1999).There are three silver fir virgin forests in Slovakia with the silverfir tree proportions ranging between 18 % and 30 % (Korpeľ,1989). The change dynamics of these forests have beendescribed in terms of production potential and regenerationprocesses (Saniga, 1999; Saniga, Klimaš, 2004). Two of thevirgin forests have also been subjected to the populationgeneticstudy using isoenzyme markers (Longauer, 2001).The conclusion has consequently been drawn postulatinglower genetic diversity of the Central European populationsas compared with those on the Balcan Peninsula and inCalabria. According to Bergmann (1991) the geneticvariation patterns of European forests species in central,central-eastern and western areas are primarily dependent onthe number and types of glacial refugia, the migration routesduring postglacial periods and the human activities in thelast centuries. The last mentioned aspect of silver fir diversitywas analyzed in presented study. The aim of the study was tocompare the genetic diversity of both primeval and managedpopulations of the species in Slovakia using restrictionfragments of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) and isoenzymes asmolecular markers.MATERIAL AND METHODSStands location and material usedThree primeval populations of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)in Slovakia and four adjoining managed populations ofthe species were involved in the study. The Badín primevalpopulation and Dobroč primeval population are locatedin Middle Slovakia, whereas Stužica primeval population69