Postglacial migration of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) to Poland - Analysis on the basis of mitochondrial DNA polymorphism

Authors:

• Ewa Maria Pawlaczyk,
• Izabela Kroplewska,
• Maria Anna Bobowicz

Abstract

Mitochondrial DNA marker was applied to 10 populations of silver fir from Poland and one from Bclarusia. These populations were locared within and beyond the natural range of silver fir. The marker exhibited two highly conserved alleles (first - 230 bp and second - 150 bp) based on an insertion-deletion of 80 bp in the fourth intron of the mitochondrial nad5 gene. The geographical distribution of the maternally inherited mitochondrial variation is known to suppott the existence of at least two refugia with two recolonizing maternal lineages remaining largely separated throughout the range. Our results provide that in all studied populations the first allele was discovered. Therefore we postulate that the silver fir migrate to Poland from the refugium in western Kuropc (probably from central Italy).