Open AccessFine‐scale genetic structure in Pinus clausa (Pinaceae) populations: effects of disturbance history
Author(s) -
Parker Kathleen C.,
Hamrick J. L.,
Parker Albert J.,
Nason John D.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
heredity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.441
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1365-2540
pISSN - 0018-067X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2540.2001.00914.x
Subject(s) - biology , genetic structure , inbreeding , biological dispersal , population , isolation by distance , pinaceae , ecology , population genetics , evolutionary biology , genetic variation , pinus <genus> , botany , genetics , demography , sociology , gene
Spatial autocorrelation analyses of 12 allozyme loci were used to compare genetic structure within populations of two varieties of Pinus clausa . P. clausa var. immuginata populations tend to be uneven‐aged, with continuous recruitment in small gaps created by wind damage, whereas P. clausa var. clausa populations are more even‐aged, with recruitment postdating periodic canopy fires. Three var. immuginata populations and three matched pairs of var. clausa populations, including both a mature and a nearby recently burned population, were examined. Aggregation of multilocus genotypes at small distances was evident in all young var. clausa populations. Little inbreeding was apparent among juveniles or adults in these populations; their genetic structure is likely to have resulted from limited seed dispersal. Genotypes were not significantly spatially structured in nearby matched mature populations. Genetic structure was less evident in var. immuginata populations. Aggregated genotypes were only apparent in the population where patches included juveniles of similar ages; dense juvenile clumps in the other two var. immuginata populations comprised a variety of ages. Interannual variability in allele frequencies of surviving seedlings may account for the absence of genetic structure in these populations.