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Allozyme variation and recent evolutionary history of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in the southeastern United States

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Abstract

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis [L.] Carr.) is a widespread and ecologically important conifer species of eastern North America that is threatened by the hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand), a pest introduced into the United States from Asia in the 1920s. Information about the genetic composition of eastern hemlock is necessary to guide ex situ conservation efforts in the southeastern United States, where the species is expected to harbor relatively high amounts of genetic variation in areas of Pleistocene glacial refuge. Nineteen allozyme markers were used to quantify the genetic variation present in 20 eastern hemlock populations in the southeastern United States. Results indicate that the species has low levels of genetic diversity in the region compared to most other conifers, but greater population differentiation (F ST = 0.126). Populations along the eastern periphery and in the Appalachian interior exhibited higher levels of diversity than those along the western periphery of its geographic range. The results suggest that the glacial refuge area for eastern hemlock was likely located east of the southern Appalachian Mountains, and indicate that ex situ conservation seed collections should be concentrated in these areas of higher diversity.

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Acknowledgments

We appreciate the assistance from the following individuals in identifying eastern hemlock populations in the southeastern United States, and in procuring permits for collecting foliage samples: Russ MacFarlane, Joe McGuiness, Tina Tilley, Paul Bradley, Randall Burgess, and Mark Robison (USDA Forest Service); Tom Remaley (National Park Service); Allen Rogers (South Mountains State Park, North Carolina); Tim Lee (Caesar’s Head State Park, South Carolina); Zeb Weese (Natural Bridge State Park, Kentucky); Dean Henson (Pine Mountain State Park, Kentucky); Ed Smith (Lone Mountain State Forest, Tennessee); Justin Walden (Scott State Forest, Tennessee); Jerry Moody (N.C. Extension Service); and Winston Church (private landowner). We thank Jennifer DeWoody and Ricardo Hernandez at the National Forest Genetic Electrophoresis Laboratory for their technical support, and three anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript. We also thank the USDA Forest Service and the members of Camcore for their financial support of this project. The foliage collection and general project support were funded by USDA Forest Service grant 05-DG-11083150–210.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, 3041 Cornwallis Road, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27709, USA

    K. M. Potter

  2. Camcore, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8008, Raleigh, NC, 27695, USA

    W. S. Dvorak, R. M. Jetton & W. A. Whittier

  3. USDA Forest Service, Southern Region, 1720 Peachtree Road NW, Suite 816N, Atlanta, GA, 30309, USA

    B. S. Crane

  4. USDA Forest Service, National Forest Genetic Electrophoresis Laboratory, 2480 Carson Road, Placerville, CA, 95667, USA

    V. D. Hipkins

  5. USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, 200 W.T. Weaver Boulevard, Asheville, NC, 28804, USA

    R. Rhea

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  1. K. M. Potter
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Correspondence to K. M. Potter.

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Potter, K.M., Dvorak, W.S., Crane, B.S. et al. Allozyme variation and recent evolutionary history of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in the southeastern United States. New Forests 35, 131–145 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-007-9067-2

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