Forest Genetic Diversity – Fuel for Adaptation?

Thomas Geburek

Department of Genetics

Federal Forest Research Centre for Forests, Natural Hazards and Landscape

Vienna, Austria

The pyramids of Giza built in Egypt 4700 years ago.

One of the longest living organisms on earth aretrees !

Longevity entails temporal environmental heterogeneity.

A single tree species often occupies an extended natural range.

Pinus sylvestris

spatial environmental heterogeneity

Trees have two options in view of climate change:

(1) Physiological adaptation (acclimation) at the individual level[internal self-regulating mechanisms and epigenetic effects, the more genetic variants the better]

(2) Evolutionary change at the population level

[change of genetic information mainly through selection, stochastic effects, and transfer of genetic material, the more genetic variants the better]

Wagner et al. 1996, PNAS

Physiological adaptation

Bossdorf et al. 2008, Ecol. Letters

Epigenetic effects in forest trees = environmental imprint on genes

Physiological adaptation

Population „blue“

Population „red“

The intraspecific (=genetic) variation of many tree species is serendipitously enormous and often underestimated.

Within in a tree species populations or races may exit which thrive best in a certain environment while others of the same tree species cannot survive facing the same environmental conditions!

Geographical variation of budset in Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

Full line = Number of frost free days

Dashed line = Percentage of seedlings with buds early September in a Hungarian provenance trials

Matyas 1996, Euphytica

Evolutionary relevant variation is primarily shaped by photoperiod and thermal (climatic) parameters.

Namroud et al. 2008, Mol. Ecol.

The molecular approach:Forest genetics on the run!

Genome wide scanning of adaptive genes in different tree species in order to detect the molecular basis of adaptation.

Wmax VW

VW

T

Ada

ptat

ion

Time

Increase the genetic base of EU forests for adaptation!

Unfortunately we do not know much about our biological production factors, i.e. genetic resources of EU forests!

But how?

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

120%

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We do not know to what extent forest reproductive material is moved in the EU, where it is used and which economic and ecological consequences this might entail!

Proportion of foreign to total FRM in Austria

Also simple records may help !

Natural and artificial range

Also simple records may help !

Glaciation records

X (Southern edge)

454443

4241

4039

3837

3635

3433

3231

3029

2827

262524

2322

2120

1918

1716

1514

131211

109

876

54

321

Y (Eastern edge)

5048

4644

4240

3836

3432

3028

2624

2220

1816

1412

108

6

‚Genetic landscape‘ of spruce in Austria Preliminary genetic risk map in Austria

‚Genetic risk maps‘ might be important for EU member states!

However, sophisticated records are better !

For our round table discussion

Genetic assessment (risk and potential) of European forests in view of climate change and increasing demands for renewable resources

(1) Tracking down of historical and recent seed and plant transfers

(2) Assessment of adaptive genetic variation

(3) Monitoring the use of FRM in Europe

(4) Enhancing the genetic quality of FRM in Europe classical and molecular breedingharmonization of requirements of basic FRM

(5) Predicting the productivity at a European scale

Hopefully the missing card that destabilizes biodiversity of EU forests is not „genetic diversity“!

Non-plastic

Plastic (non-linear)Plastic (linear)

Environmental range (e.g. temperature )

Phen

otyp

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Plastic (linear)

million cbm/year

Nearly 20 % increase of productivity is expected to be due to genetic tree improvement in Sweden till 2100.