Genetic structures of a flooded and a non-flooded oak (Quercus robur) population from the floodplains of the Rhein river

• Published in: Ekológia Bratislava Vol. 18; pp. 160 - 163
• Main Authors: Herzog, S, Krabel, D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.1999
• Subjects: EST-A gene; Germany; PDG-A gene; PGI-B gene; PGM-A gene; Quercus robur; SKDH-A gene
• ISSN: 1335-342X

We studied a pair of adult stands located near Rastatt (Germany) on the basis of 17 different isoenzyme gene loci. Whereas one stand ("Bannwald") is located close to the river bed, becoming flooded for several weeks per year, the other stand ("Ottersdorfer Oberwald") is situated several hundered metres distant and thus protected not only by the recent but even by the historical dike. We studied 17 isoenzyme gene loci and found differences for the ammount of genetic variation within populations only for the gene loci 6-PGD-A, EST-A, and SKDH-A. Another interesting finding is the observation, that the Bannwald subpopulation shows at the EST-A gene locus an allele EST-A 1, which normally is very rare in sessile as well as pedunculate oak populations, with frequencies of 20% in the adult stand and 29% in the progeny. The respective values for the Ottersdorfer Oberwald subpopulation are 4.5 and 3%. Other gene loci which are assumed to be involved into tolerance of flooding and anaerobic conditions such as PGM-A or PGI-B show no specific allelic structures for the Bannwald subpopulation. Thus, the present results from the genetic investigation of a pair of adult oak stands under different flooding regimes and their progeny provides no clear evidence for a strong selective force of this environmental factor although some gene loci exhibit different allelic structures that may be due to the different environmental situations. This question requires additional studies, involving more stands and more genetic marker systems.