Publications
NIBIOs employees contribute to several hundred scientific articles and research reports every year. You can browse or search in our collection which contains references and links to these publications as well as other research and dissemination activities. The collection is continously updated with new and historical material.
2016
Authors
Mari Mette Tollefsrud Tor Myking Jørn Henrik Sønstebø Vaidotas Lygis Ari Hietala Myriam HeuertzAbstract
During post glacial colonization, loss of genetic diversity due to leading edge effects may be attenuated in forest trees because of their prolonged juvenile phase, allowing many migrants to reach the colonizing front before populations become reproductive. The northern range margins of temperate tree taxa in Europe are particularly suitable to study the genetic processes that follow colonization because they have been little affected by northern refugia. Here we examined how post glacial range dynamics have shaped the genetic structure of common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) in its northern range compared to its central range in Europe. We used four chloroplast and six nuclear microsatellites to screen 42 populations (1099 trees), half of which corresponded to newly sampled populations in the northern range and half of which represented reference populations from the central range obtained from previously studies. We found that northern range populations of common ash have the same chloroplast haplotypes as south-eastern European populations, suggesting that colonization of the northern range took place along a single migration route, a result confirmed by the structure at the nuclear microsatellites. Along this route, diversity strongly decreased only in the northern range, concomitantly with increasing population differentiation and complex population substructures, a pattern consistent with a leading edge colonization model. Our study highlights that while diversity is maintained in the central range of common ash due to broad colonizing fronts and high levels of gene flow, it profoundly decreases in the northern range, where colonization was unidirectional and probably involved repeated founder events and population fluctuations. Currently, common ash is threatened by ash dieback, and our results on northern populations will be valuable for developing gene conservation strategies.
Abstract
The root rot pathogens in Norway spruce (Picea abies) Heterobasidion ssp. cause substantial loss in carbon sequestered in forest and economic revenue for forest owners. To facilitate strategic breeding planning for increased resistance against this pathogen in particular, the blue stain fungus Endoconidiophora polonica, growth and wood quality traits (wood density and spiral grain), we estimated additive genetic parameters, correlations and the potential response from selection. Parameters were estimated from a progeny trial series established at two sites (25 years from planting) and their parents in a seed orchard (43 years from grafting). A standard half-sib analysis based on progenies and a parent–offspring regression was used for estimation of heritabilities. Resistance against the pathogens was measured as lesion length under bark after inoculations in phloem. Heritability values varied with site and estimation procedure from 0.06 to 0.33, whereas the phenotypic variance (as CV P ) is high and fairly stable around 40–50 %. Heritability values for wood density and spiral grain in the same material varied from 0.32 to 0.63. The highest heritability values were generally obtained from parent–offspring regression. There is no evidence of resistance traits being genetically correlated with growth or wood quality traits. Wood density is negatively correlated with stem diameter. Implications for breeding are discussed.
Authors
Mari Mette TollefsrudAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Yoshiaki Tsuda Jun Chen Michael Stocks Thomas Källman Jørn Henrik Sønstebø Laura Parducci Vladimir Semerikov Christoph Sperisen Dmitry Politov Tiina Ronkainen Minna Väliranta Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin Mari Mette Tollefsrud Martin LascouxAbstract
Boreal species were repeatedly exposed to ice ages and went through cycles of contraction and expansion while sister species alternated periods of contact and isolation. The resulting genetic structure is consequently complex, and demographic inferences are intrinsically challenging. The range of Norway spruce (Picea abies) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata) covers most of northern Eurasia; yet their geographical limits and histories remain poorly understood. To delineate the hybrid zone between the two species and reconstruct their joint demographic history, we analysed variation at nuclear SSR and mitochondrial DNA in 102 and 88 populations, respectively. The dynamics of the hybrid zone was analysed with approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) followed by posterior predictive structure plot reconstruction and the presence of barriers across the range tested with estimated effective migration surfaces. To estimate the divergence time between the two species, nuclear sequences from two well-separated populations of each species were analysed with ABC. Two main barriers divide the range of the two species: one corresponds to the hybrid zone between them, and the other separates the southern and northern domains of Norway spruce. The hybrid zone is centred on the Urals, but the genetic impact of Siberian spruce extends further west. The joint distribution of mitochondrial and nuclear variation indicates an introgression of mitochondrial DNA from Norway spruce into Siberian spruce. Overall, our data reveal a demographic history where the two species interacted frequently and where migrants originating from the Urals and the West Siberian Plain recolonized northern Russia and Scandinavia using scattered refugial populations of Norway spruce as stepping stones towards the west.
Abstract
Plantations of genetically improved forest trees are critical for economic sustainability in forestry. This review summarizes gains in objective traits and the resulting economic impact of tree breeding programmes in Scandinavia and Finland. Genetic improvement of forest trees in these countries began in the late 1940s, when the first phenotypically superior plus-trees were selected from natural environments. The main findings from this review are that (i) tree breeding can increase volume growth in the range 10–25%, and (ii) the bare land value associated with genetically improved trees gives a better return on investment and a shorter rotation period compared to the unimproved forests. As some Nordic countries are quite dependent on the forest industry, breeding programmes that have resulted in economic gains have been beneficial for society. Growth and wood quality traits are often adversely correlated, and the weighting of traits from an economic perspective could provide an index for determining maximum profit from breeding. Tree breeding faces an array of challenges in the future, such as changes in silviculture, climate, new pests and diseases, and demand for wood-based products.
Authors
Inger Sundheim FløistadAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tore SkrøppaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tore SkrøppaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Tore SkrøppaAbstract
No abstract has been registered
Authors
Anne-Kari Holm Inger Sundheim Fløistad Knut Asbjørn Solhaug Benedikte Watne Oliver Lars Olav BrandsæterAbstract
No abstract has been registered