Population structure in European and Siberian spruces according to their phenotypes

Abstract

Structure and diversity of populations in the European and Siberian spruces were studied by their phenotypes. On vast areas of their total range in the east of Europe and Siberia, significant variability of intrapopulation diversity index in the frequency of individual phenotypes is observed. All analyzed populations are divided into two large groups: with low (and decreased) and high (and increased) levels of intrapopulation diversity. A high level of diversity was observed in the regions with hybrid or intermediate populations, while a low level was in the regions with populations of European and Siberian spruces without genetic interference. Mean level of diversity is typical for the areas with populations transient in these characters.