Forest trees dominate many Alpine landscapes that are currently exposed to changing climate. Norway spruce is one of the most important conifer species of the Italian Alps, and natural populations are found across steep environmental gradients with large differences in temperature and moisture availability. This study seeks to determine and quantify patterns of genetic diversity in natural populations toward understanding adaptive responses to changing climate. Across the Italian species range, 24 natural stands were sampled with a major focus on the Eastern Italian Alps. Sampled trees were genotyped for 384 selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 285 genes. A wide array of potential candidate genes was tested for correlation with climatic parameters. To minimize false-positive association between genotype and climate, population structure was investigated. Pairwise F ST estimates between sampled populations ranged between 0.000 and 0.075, with the highest values involving the two disjoint populations, Valdieri, on the western Italian Alps, and Campolino, the most southern population on the Apennines. Despite considerable genetic admixture among populations, both Bayesian and multivariate approach identified four genetic clusters. Selection scans revealed five F ST outliers, and the environmental association analysis detected ten SNPs associated to one or more climatic variables. Overall, 13 potentially adaptive loci were identified, three of which have been reported in a previous study on the same species conducted on a broader geographical scale. In our study, precipitation, more than temperature, was often associated with genotype; therefore, it appears as the most important environmental variable associated with the high sensitivity of Norway spruce to soil water supply. These findings provide relevant information for understanding and quantifying climate change effects on this species and its ability to genetically adapt
Di Pierro, E.A.; Mosca, E.; Rocchini, D.; Binelli, G.; Neale, D.B.; La Porta, N. (2016). Climate-related adaptive genetic variation and population structure in natural stands of Norway spruce in the South-Eastern Alps. TREE GENETICS & GENOMES, 12 (16). doi: 10.1007/s11295-016-0972-4 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/27630
Citation: | Di Pierro, E.A.; Mosca, E.; Rocchini, D.; Binelli, G.; Neale, D.B.; La Porta, N. (2016). Climate-related adaptive genetic variation and population structure in natural stands of Norway spruce in the South-Eastern Alps. TREE GENETICS & GENOMES, 12 (16). doi: 10.1007/s11295-016-0972-4 handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10449/27630 |
Internal authors: | |
Organization unit: | CRI [2011-01 - today]: DEPARTMENT OF BIODIVERSITY AND MOLECULAR ECOLOGY CRI [2011-01 - today]: DEPARTMENT OF SUSTAINABLE AGRO-ECOSYSTEMS AND BIORESOURCES CRI [2011-01 - today]: DEPARTMENT OF GENOMICS AND BIOLOGY OF FRUIT CROPS |
Authors: | Di Pierro, E.A.; Mosca, E.; Rocchini, D.; Binelli, G.; Neale, D.B.; La Porta, N. |
Title: | Climate-related adaptive genetic variation and population structure in natural stands of Norway spruce in the South-Eastern Alps |
Journal: | TREE GENETICS & GENOMES |
Issue Date: | 2016 |
Scientific Disciplinary Area: | Settore BIO/07 - ECOLOGIA |
Keywords ENG: | Climate change Local adaptation Conservation genetics Landscape genomics Population genomics |
Language: | English |
IF: | With Impact Factor ISI |
Publication status: | Published |
Nature of content: | Articolo in rivista/Article |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11295-016-0972-4 |
Appears in Collections: | 01 - Journal article |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Type | License | |
---|---|---|---|---|
2016 TGG Rocchini.pdf | N/A | Tutti i diritti riservati (All rights reserved) | Utenti riconosciuti |