Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
SILVAE GENETICA, cilt.46, sa.2-3, ss.113-120, 1997 (SCI-Expanded)
Seed collections along 2 elevational transects, 1 in the central part and the other on the western edge of the Antalya basin were made to study within-and between-population variation for growth characteristics of Pinus brutia TEN.. Four common garden experiments were established at different elevations along the western transect. In addition, seed samples from 4 populations along a third elevational transect on the far eastern edge of the basin were collected to perform isoenzyme analyses. Population parameters for 6-year height growth showed that middle elevation populations have better performance and better uniformity than lower-and higher-elevation populations within each of the 4 test sites. They also exhibit higher adaptational plasticity and higher stability under varying environmental conditions. Furthermore, isoenzyme analyses indicated that middle-elevation populations have a higher heterozygosity level and higher numbers of alleles per locus. Our results based on growth and isoenzyme analyses indicate that middle-elevation populations of P. brutia present higher genetic variability for in situ conservation, and they can serve much wider elevational zones for afforestation and reforestation purposes than the lower and higher elevation populations. Therefore, they should be given high priority in forest tree breeding and selection activities in the region.