Comparison of population genetic structure of Pinus mugo Turra forest stands in the Giant Mountains by analysis of nSSR molecular marker data

Abstract

Abstract Pinus mugo (dwarf mountain pine) communities in the protected area of Krkonoše National Park are extremely valuable. After extensive deforestation during the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries, P. mugo recovered naturally in some parts of the Giant Mountains, and in some places imported seeds were likely used for reforestation. To distinguish between native and possibly introduced local P. mugo populations, genetic variations between 12 populations from the Czech Sudeten part of the Giant Mountains and between the two populations from the Tatra Mountains were analysed using 12 nuclear microsatellite markers (nuclear simple sequence repeats). Based on the simple sequence repeat data, 146 alleles were found, and Shannon’s information index, number of private alleles, and expected heterozygosity (HE) of populations averaged 1.12, 0.16, and 0.53, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance indicated that most of the variation was detected within populations. Low levels of genetic differentiation were also observed (average FST = 0.023). The population structure was examined by Bayesian clustering. The results of STRUCTURE analysis confirmed that the introduced populations were different from the autochthonous populations. Some of the introduced Czech Sudeten populations had similar genetic structure as the more distant native populations from the Tatra Mountains. Our results provide important genetic information for the reconstruction of natural communities in the Giant Mountains.