Possibilities for adaptation of Alnus glutinosa L. to changing environment

Anotacija

The objective of the study was to assess the level of intra- and interpopulation variation of adaptive traits (juvenile height growth, phenology, and frost resistance) of black alder (Alnus glutinosa L.) in different ecological conditions, to estimate its phenotypic plasticity and on this ground to evaluate the possibilities for adaptation to the changing environment in the course of global climate warming. Eighty-five open pollinated families from 17 Lithuanian populations were studied for 5 years in 3 progeny test plantations. Strong significant effects of site conditions found for most growth traits indicate a high phenotypic plasticity of black alder and show the ability of the species to a rapid response to changed environmental conditions. The family variance components in every single test plantation were significant and reached up to 38.3%. A significant additive variance found within populations suggests good prospects for genetic adaptation to changes of climate and environment via natural selection during the juvenile stage. The highest population variante component, which reached up to 35.3%, was found for bud flushing. A significant genotype × environment interaction indicated existence of differences among families regarding their plastic response and presence of specific adaptation. However, the performance of families across trials was rather stabile: only 16.5% of the families contributed significantly to the g x e interaction for phenology and 24.7% for height, and their ecovalence estimates were low (<5.5%). The genetic variation found among families and among populations facilitates developing an efficient dynamic Multiple-Population joint gene conservation and tree breeding system (MPBS) for black alder in Lithuania. Keywords: Alnus glutinosa, genetic variation, phenotypic plasticity, adaptation