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Leaf morphological and genetic differentiation between Quercus robur L. and its closest relative, the drought-tolerant Quercus pedunculiflora K. Koch

  • Original Paper
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Abstract

• Introduction

The study of phenotypic and genetic differentiation between incipient species or species that have recently diverged provides insights into the evolutionary history of species complexes and may contribute to our understanding of how species will evolve in contrasting environmental conditions.

• Objective

Here, we characterise the differences in leaf morphology and we estimate the genetic differentiation between Quercus robur and its closest relative, the drought-tolerant Quercus pedunculiflora. We have examined whether these two ecologically divergent taxa have different genetic structures using both nuclear and chloroplast markers.

• Results

By analysing 844 individual trees from seven Q. robur and seven Q. pedunculiflora populations and one mixed forest containing both taxa, we found that abaxial laminar pubescence is the most discriminating leaf descriptor between Q. robur and Q. pedunculiflora. The analysis of seven enzyme-coding gene loci revealed no taxon-specific alleles with a frequency > 0.03. The DNA chloroplast haplotypes observed in Q. pedunculiflora have been found in our Q. robur sample or have been previously reported in Q. robur.

• Conclusions

The very low level of nuclear divergence revealed by the isozyme markers and the incomplete sorting of Q. robur and Q. pedunculiflora populations according to their physical appearance suggests that Q. pedunculiflora is an incipient oak species and that the process of ecological speciation is not completed.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to numerous colleagues from the forest districts across the country for assisting us during the field sampling. We are grateful to Ecaterina Chesnoiu and Andras Tothpal for field assistance and help in the leaf measurements and Tudor Stancioiu for his suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript. We wish to also thank two anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on the manuscript. This work was funded by CNCSIS–UEFISCSU, project number PNII-IDEI 183/2007. Mihai Cristian Enescu acknowledges a PhD scholarship (POSDRU/88/1.5/S/59321) financed by ESF and the Romanian Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forest Sciences, University of Transilvania, Brasov, Sirul Beethoven-1, 500123, Brasov, Romania

    Alexandru Lucian Curtu, Nicolae Sofletea, Alin Vasile Toader & Mihai Cristian Enescu

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  1. Alexandru Lucian Curtu
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  2. Nicolae Sofletea
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  3. Alin Vasile Toader
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  4. Mihai Cristian Enescu
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Correspondence to Alexandru Lucian Curtu.

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Curtu, A.L., Sofletea, N., Toader, A.V. et al. Leaf morphological and genetic differentiation between Quercus robur L. and its closest relative, the drought-tolerant Quercus pedunculiflora K. Koch. Annals of Forest Science 68, 1163–1172 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-011-0105-z

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