Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic structure of a rare European conifer, Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Panč.) Purk.)

  • Published:
Plant Systematics and Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Genetic variation in 13 populations of a Balkan endemic, Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Panč.) Purk.), was investigated using 16 isozyme loci. Serbian spruce is characterized by low levels of genetic variation (average proportion of polymorphic loci was 20.9% and average expected heterozygosity was 0.067). In most populations, a significant surplus of heterozygotes was observed, indicating a strong selection against inbreds. In the largest populations, fixation indices were positive, probably due to within-population differentiation and the associated Wahlund effect. Despite a strong overall differentiation (F ST =0.261), no geographical trends in the genetic variation could be identified. Genetic drift caused by small effective population sizes and a strong fragmentation is the most plausible explanation for such variation patterns. A Bayesian analysis of population structure revealed the existence of two clusters, which are supposed to be possible remnants of ancient differentiation within a large range of the predecessor of Serbian spruce, Picea omoricoides Weber. Ex situ conservation measures, namely establishing seed orchards from trees of mixed origin, are proposed as a necessary complement to in situ protection of natural stands.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • E. Aguirre-Planter G. R. Furnier L. E. Eguiarte (2000) ArticleTitleLow levels of genetic variation within and high levels of genetic differentiation among populations of species of Abies from southern Mexico and Guatemala Amer. J. Bot. 87 362–371 Occurrence Handle10.2307/2656632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Burschel (1965) ArticleTitleDie Omorikafichte Forstarchiv 36 113–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheliak W. M., Pitel J. A. (1984) Techniques for starch gel electrophoresis of enzymes from forest tree species. Information Report PI-X-42, Petawawa National Forest Institute, Chalk River.

  • Felsenstein J. (2003) PHYLIP: Phylogeny Inference Package v. 3.61., University of Washington, Scattle, http://evolution.gs.washington.edu/phylip.html

  • J. Fischer H. Járai-Komlódi (1970) ArticleTitleFosszilis keverek pollenek azonositasanak matematikai modszere a Picea omorika es Picea abies eseteben Bot. Közl. 57 59–68

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Fukarek (1951) ArticleTitleDanašnje rasprostranjenje Pančićeve omorike (Picea omorika Pančić) i neki podaci o njenim sastojinama Godišnjak Biol. Instituta u Sarajevu 1–2 141–198

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Fukarek (1957) ArticleTitleNeke starije i novije rasprave o Pančićevoj omorici Šumarstvo 10 245–257

    Google Scholar 

  • T. Geburek (1986) ArticleTitleSome results of inbreeding depression in Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Panč.) Purk.) Silvae Genet. 35 169–172

    Google Scholar 

  • T. Geburek D. Krusche (1985) ArticleTitleWachstum von Hybriden zwischen Picea omorika und P. sitchensis im Vergleich zu den Elternarten Allg. Forst- u. Jagdztg. 156 47–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Gömöry D., Paule L. (1990) Sravnenie geneticheskoj izmenchivosti i podobnost' populyatsij eli iz territorii Slovakii i SSSR. In: Korpel Š. (ed.) Intenzifikácia pestovania smrekových porastov s ohl'adom na ekologické podmienky VŠLD–MLTI, Zvolen, pp. 2–12.

  • J. Goudet (1995) ArticleTitleFSTAT (Version 1.2): a computer program to calculate F-statistics J. Heredity 86 IssueID6 485–486

    Google Scholar 

  • S.H. Hurlbert (1971) ArticleTitleThe non-concept of species diversity: A critique and alternative parameters Ecology 52 577–586 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1934145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K. V. Krutovskij F. Bergmann (1995) ArticleTitleIntrogressive hybridization and phylogenetic relationships between Norway, Picea abies (L.) Karst., and Siberian, P. obovata Ledeb., spruce species studied by isozyme loci Heredity 74 464–480

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Kuittinen O. Muona K. Kärkkäinen Ž. Borzan (1991) ArticleTitleSerbian spruce, a narrow endemic, contains much genetic variation Can. J. For. Res. 21 363–367

    Google Scholar 

  • U. Lagercrantz N. Ryman (1990) ArticleTitleGenetic structure of Norway spruce (Picea abies): concordance of morphological and allozymic variation Evolution 44 38–53 Occurrence Handle10.2307/2409523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U. Lagercrantz N. Ryman G. Ståhl (1988) ArticleTitleProtein loci in diploid tissue of Norway spruce (Picea abies K.): description and interpretation of electrophoretic variability patterns Hereditas 108 149–158 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL1cXlvVOntb0%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • W. Langner (1959) ArticleTitleSelbstfertilität und Inzucht bei Picea omorika (Pančić) Purkyne Silvae Genet. 8 84–93

    Google Scholar 

  • F. T. Ledig V. Jacob-Cervantes P. D. Hodgskiss T. Eguiluz-Piedra (1997) ArticleTitleRecent evolution and divergence among populations of a rare Mexican endemic, Chihuahua spruce, following Holocene climatic warming Evolution 51 1815–1827 Occurrence Handle10.2307/2411004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F. T. Ledig B. Bermejo-Velazquez P. D. Hodgskiss D. R. Johnson C. Flores-Lopez V. Jacob-Cervantes (2000) ArticleTitleThe mating system and genic diversity in Martinez spruce, an extremely rare endemic of Mexico's Sierra Madre Oriental: an example of facultative selfing and survival in interglacial refugia Can. J. For. Res. 30 1156–1164 Occurrence Handle10.1139/cjfr-30-7-1156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F. T. Ledig M. A. Capo-Arteaga P. D. Hodgskiss H. Sbay C. Flores-Lopez M. T. Conkle B. Bermejo-Velazquez (2001) ArticleTitleGenetic diversity and the mating system of a rare Mexican piñon, Pinus pinceana, and a comparison with Pinus maximartinezii (Pinaceae) Amer. J. Bot. 88 1977–1987

    Google Scholar 

  • F. T. Ledig P. D. Hodgskiss V. Jacob-Cervantes (2002) ArticleTitleGenetic diversity, mating system, and conservation of a Mexican subalpine relict, Picea mexicana Martinez Cons. Genet. 3 113–122 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XltFSnsrg%3D Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1015297621884

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • D. H. Mai J. Majewski K. P. Unger (1963) ArticleTitlePliozän und Altpleistozän von Rippersroda in Thüringen Geologie 12 765–815

    Google Scholar 

  • O. Muona R. Yazdani G. Lindqvist (1987) ArticleTitleAnalysis of linkage in Picea abies Hereditas 106 31–36 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL2sXkslCnsbk%3D

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • M. Nei (1978) ArticleTitleEstimation of average heterozygosity and genetic distance from a small number of individuals Genetics 89 583–590

    Google Scholar 

  • G. J. O'Reilly W. M. Parker W. M. Cheliak (1985) ArticleTitleIsozyme differentiation of upland and lowland Picea mariana stands in northern Ontario Silvae Genet. 34 214–221

    Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Petit A. El Mousadik O. Pons (1998) ArticleTitleIdentifying populations for conservation on the basis of genetic markers Cons. Biol. 12 844–855 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998.96489.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. D. Poulsen V. Simonsen H. Wellendorf (1983) ArticleTitleThe inheritance of six isozymes in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) For. Tree Improvement 16 12–33

    Google Scholar 

  • J. K. Pritchard M. Stephens P. Donnelly (2000) ArticleTitleInference of population structure from multilocus genotype data Genetics 155 945–959 Occurrence Handle10835412 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3cvislKrtA%3D%3D

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • C. Ravazzi (2002) ArticleTitleLate Quaternary history of spruce in southern Europe Rev. Palaeobot. Palynol. 120 131–177 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0034-6667(01)00149-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Raymond F. Rousset (1995) ArticleTitleGENEPOP (version 1.2): population genetics software for exact tests and ecumenicism J. Heredity 86 248–249

    Google Scholar 

  • O. Savolainen H. Kuittinen (2000) Small population processes A. Young D. Boshier T. Boyle (Eds) Forest conservation genetics, principles and practice CABI Publishing Oxon 91–100

    Google Scholar 

  • D. L. Swofford R.B. Selander (1981) ArticleTitleBIOSYS-1: a Fortran program for the comprehensive analysis of electrophoretic data in population genetics and systematics J. Heredity 72 281–283

    Google Scholar 

  • B. Tučić B. Stojković (2001) ArticleTitleShade avoidance syndrome in Picea omorika seedlings: a growth-room experiment J. Evol. Biol. 14 444–455 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1420-9101.2001.00291.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vidaković M. (1991) Conifers. Morphology and Variation. Grafićki zavod Hrvatske, Zagreb.

  • T. A. Wijmstra (1969) ArticleTitlePalynology of the first 30 meters of a 120 m deep section in Northern Greece Acta Bot. Neerl. 18 511–527

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Wright (1965) ArticleTitleThe interpretation of populations structure by F-statistics with special regard to systems of mating Evolution 19 395–420 Occurrence Handle10.2307/2406450

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Forestry, University Sarajevo, Zagrebačka 20, 71000, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Hercegovina

    D. Ballian & T. Mikić

  2. Forestry Research Institute, T.G. Masaryka 22, 960 92, Zvolen, Slovakia

    R. Longauer

  3. Technical University in Zvolen, T.G. Masaryka 24, 960 53, Zvolen, Slovakia

    L. Paule & D. Gömöry

  4. Faculty of Forestry, University Zagreb, Svetošimunska 25, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

    D. Kajba

Authors
  1. D. Ballian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R. Longauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. Mikić
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. L. Paule
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. D. Kajba
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. D. Gömöry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to D. Gömöry.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ballian, D., Longauer, R., Mikić, T. et al. Genetic structure of a rare European conifer, Serbian spruce (Picea omorika (Panč.) Purk.). Plant Syst. Evol. 260, 53–63 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-006-0431-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00606-006-0431-z

Keywords

Search

Navigation