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Intraspecific variability in frost hardiness of Fagus sylvatica L.

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Abstract

This study investigated the intraspecific variability of frost hardiness of Fagus sylvatica. We tested for local adaptation by relating the frost hardiness of different provenances to the climatic conditions at the populations’ origin and searched for genetic markers that coincided with frost hardiness. Twenty provenances of F. sylvatica were selected covering the major part of the climatic gradient within the species’ range. Frost hardiness was assessed in winter and tested in a climate test chamber by exposing buds to different freezing temperatures and estimating LT 50-values by the electrolyte leakage method. Additionally, the genotypes of all investigated provenances were analyzed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting. The frost hardiness differed up to 10.3 K between provenances. In contrast to our expectation, we did not find any relationship between LT 50 and climate variables. Although the populations were not well differentiated by AFLP markers, the first PCoA axis of all loci of seven different primers was strongly related to LT 50-values. Linear regressions showed that frost hardiness could be predicted from the presence/absence of 12 loci. The high intraspecific variation in frost hardiness revealed a high potential of this species to different climates. The ability to withstand low temperatures was neither related to the species’ phylogeography, nor to the current climatic conditions of provenances. This points to a more recent evolution of frost hardiness and points to a link of frost hardiness to other characteristics (e.g., drought tolerance), which might have been subjected to other selection pressures than low temperatures.

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Acknowledgments

We thank F. Berthold for the support at the field work, I. Geier and K. Patsias for the assistance at the laboratory, G. Seidler and E. Welk for the help with compiling the distribution data and maps as well as M. Baudis, D. Eichenberg, and L. Hantsch for useful comments on the manuscript. The manuscript was much improved by comments of two anonymous referees. This study was financially supported by the graduate scholarship of Saxony-Anhalt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Maria Hofmann & Helge Bruelheide

  2. Department of Community Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Str. 4, 06120, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Walter Durka

  3. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Walter Durka & Helge Bruelheide

  4. Institute of Forest Genetics, Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Sieker Landstraße 2, 22927, Großhansdorf, Germany

    Mirko Liesebach

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  1. Maria Hofmann
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Correspondence to Maria Hofmann.

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Communicated by Rainer Matyssek.

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Hofmann, M., Durka, W., Liesebach, M. et al. Intraspecific variability in frost hardiness of Fagus sylvatica L.. Eur J Forest Res 134, 433–441 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-015-0862-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-015-0862-6

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