GENETIC DIVERSITY OF EURASIAN BOREAL CONIFERS

The most important boreal conifers of Eurasia are Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies incl. P. obovata) and Larches (Larix gmelinii and L. sibirica, incl. L. sukaczewii), all belonging to Pinaceae. All have a very large distribution and their ranges have contracted and expanded repeatedly under climatic changes during the Pleistocene and Holocene.
Evolution has thus led to a large genetic variation and potential for reaction to environmental factors.
Morphological, biochemical, molecular and adaptive variation has been observed but the mechanisms of the inheritance are only partly known.
Simple patterns of inheritance are rare but negative correlations between useful characters are few.
Long term provenance experiments in different conditions have revealed characters of adaptability useful in cultivation.
Norway spruce seems to exceed Scots pine in genetic potential.
The Larches have reacted variably.
Within-population variability is in many cases considerable and for non-adaptive characters the genetic distance between populations of different geographic origin is small.
The physiological mechanisms behind the adaptive features are only partly known but new experiments have thrown some light on the processes involved.
Knowledge about reaction norms to climate may become important when considering the effects of a possible global warming.

IV International Conifer Conference

M. Hagman

adaptation, biochemical variation, geographical variation, Larix gmelinii, Larix sibirica, molecular variation, morphological variation, Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.615.17