Spatial pattern of relict beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests in the Sudetes of the Czech Republic and Poland

The study focused on the effects of gap size on natural regeneration of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) and micro-environmental soil conditions in gaps of different sizes under temperate mixed forest in the Czech Republic. Six gaps comprising two for small (≥ 200 m2), medium (≥ 500 m2) and big (≥ 900 m2) each were selected. Ten circular 1 m2 subsampling plots were established at 2 m intervals along individual North-South-East-West transects, including one at the gap centre. Regeneration was monitored in 2014 and repeatedly in 2019. Soil conditions were only measured in 2019. Gap size was found to be a significant parameter for European beech natural regeneration in 2014. Besides, the quick occupation of European beech in gaps at natural beech zone provoked its prolific regeneration compared to Norway spruce in 2014. However, in 2019 the recent threat of weather variabilities was responsible for the general abysmal growth performance of natural regeneration. Division of gap microsites into different within-gap positions based on prevailing light or shade conditions was helpful in assessing the significant variations of soil conditions within-gap positions and among gap sizes. Soil temperature and moisture significantly influenced the regeneration of European beech and Norway spruce, respectively.

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Microsatellite analysis of genetic diversity in Czech populations of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Forestry Studies / Metsanduslikud Uurimused ◽

10.2478/fsmu-2020-0015 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 73 (1) ◽

pp. 64-76

Author(s):

Dagmar Zádrapová ◽

Jiří Korecký ◽

Jakub Dvořák ◽

Zuzana Faltinová ◽

Jan Bílý

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Tree Species ◽

European Beech ◽

Forest Tree ◽

Genetic Distances ◽

Tree Species Composition ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Primary Driver

Abstract European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the most important broadleaved tree species in Europe both ecologically and economically. Nowadays, in the Czech Republic, beech is underrepresented in forest tree species composition, and there are tendencies to increase its proportion. When reintroducing beech, genetic variability, along with other factors, play a key role. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the genetic diversity of ten selected indigenous beech populations across the Czech Republic. Two hundred and fifty individuals were genotyped on 21 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers, which were amplified using two newly assembled multiplexes. According to the results, observed heterozygosity (Ho ) among populations ranged from 0.595 to 0.654 and expected heterozygosity (He ) from 0.650 to 0.678. That is comparable with the findings in other European studies. The high discriminatory power of the assembled multiplexes was confirmed by calculating the Probability of Identity among both unrelated and related individuals. Principal Coordinate Analysis (PCoA) based on Nei's genetic distances revealed that there are genetic differences among populations resulting in three approximate clusters (geographically north, south-east, and south-west). Nevertheless, the results implicate that on a geographical scale of the Czech Republic, the distance is unlikely to be the primary driver of genetic differentiation.

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Evaluation of the genetic diversity of selected Fagus sylvatica L. populations in the Czech Republic using nuclear microsatellites

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/88/2016-jfs ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (No. 2) ◽

pp. 53-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Cvrčková Helena ◽

Máchová Pavlína ◽

Poláková Lucie ◽

Trčková Olga

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Microsatellite Markers ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Tree Species ◽

European Beech ◽

Fixation Index ◽

Detailed Knowledge ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Adult Trees

Fagus sylvatica Linnaeus (European beech), the ecologically and economically most important broadleaved tree species in the Czech Republic, was strongly reduced in the past. Today there are efforts to increase the proportion of beech to ensure optimal forest tree species composition. When extensively reintroducing beech, it is important to acquire more detailed knowledge of genetic diversity. Thirteen important beech populations in different stands in the territory of the Czech Republic were genotyped using 12 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers. The genotypic data from adult trees imply genetic differences between the populations. The estimated genetic diversity expressed as Shannon’s information index ranged from 1.73 to 1.92. Thirteen beech populations showed excess homozygotes, as indicated by positive fixation index (F) values (F = 0.005–0.115). The pairwise FST values indicated low genetic differentiation between the 13 Czech beech populations, because they were greater than zero, that means they confirmed the presence of population structuring in Czech European beech. Not significant linear correlations were observed between genetic and geographic distances of the 13 beech populations studied on the basis of microsatellite markers. Twelve microsatellite markers were verified as highly polymorphic and suitable for genotyping of European beech populations.

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