S. N. Sannikova

The distribution of nine chloroplast DNA haplotypes in four insular North-Atlantic and four European coastal Atlantic populations of Calluna vulgarisin the glacial zone of the range has been...

A new method for determining the upper forest border (UFB) as the border of the “root-closed” stand and regrowth as its potential vanguard is proposed. The mass dispersal of Pinus sibirica...

The results are presented of comparative analysis of pathways, rates, and timing of recolonization into Scandinavia, in Holocene, of Pinus sylvestris populations and those of Picea abies and P. obovata. The dispersion rate, starting from 12 thou years before present (BP), is calculated using palynological data from scientific literature on radiometric dating. It is found out that P sylvestris spread into Central Scandinavia from the Alps via the Danish Isthmus about 8.2 thou years BP with the speed of 500-1250 km per 1 thou years. A hypothesis is put forward suggesting that such a fast speed is due to pine seeds hydrochory, which is much faster than anemochory according to our researches. From the northern part of the East European Plain, P. sylvestris spread into Fennoscandia with lower speed (520 km per 1 thou years). Populations of Picea species dispersed from the same regions with speed (131-164 km per 1 thou years) 3-10 times lower than that of P. sylvestris. Therefore, invasion of Picea abies from the Alps into Scandinavia via the Danish Isthmus did not have time to happen before the formation of the Kattegat Strait. By circumferential pathway, through Karelia, both species of Picea reached the northern parts of Scandinavia only 3.5 thou years BP, its central parts - 2 thou years BP, and its southern parts - 1.5 thou years BP, i.e., later than P. sylvestris by 4, 6.2, and 8.5 thou years respectively. Probably, this may be explained by the fact that in pines the time to seeding is twofold shorter, while their sprouts were more tolerant to climatic extremums in periglacial habitats in middle Holocene.

Allozyme analysis of the parameters of the Nei genetic distances and gene flow between the populations of Scots pine Pinus sylvestrisL. along two hypothetical alternative ways of their migrations in...

The history, distribution routes, and phenogeographic structure of the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the northeast of the Russian Plain were studied on the basis of paleogeographic data and results of our own phenotypic and allozyme-genetic studies. It is assumed that, after the maximum Dnieper glaciation, P. sylvestris populations could successfully distribute to the northwest and north from the refugia of the South and Middle Urals as a result of seed dispersal by Belaya, Ufa, Chusovaya rivers (in Holocene, by Severnaya Dvina, Mezen', and Pechora rivers). On the basis of the hypothesis of "migration complexes" and the theory of hydrochory for coniferous species, a scheme of formation of a population structure of the Scots pine in the northeast of the Russian Plain is proposed.

Quantitative ecological and genetic studies in the pine forests of North Eurasia based on the example of Pinus sylvestris L. have allowed the constructive population genetic and ecological principles and parameters for selection, assessment, and classification of forest genetic reserves (FGRs) to be grounded. The genetic parameters of FGR populations (the minimum area, disturbance by cutting, and the influx of foreign pollen) are regarded as undoubtedly top-priority factors, as tree-stand vitality and germination capacity are regarded as key ecological factors. We propose to give a general estimate for the class of FGR quality using an integral ranking scale for five genetic and ecological parameters based on the class of the FGR area. This class increases by 0.5 with an increase (deterioration) by one class of any other considered parameter. This system provides the possibility to create a unified system for ecologically and genetically grounded selection of FGRs and assessment of their classes.

An allozyme analysis of 67 Pinus sylvestris L. populations distributed over the entire species range has provided a basis for determining locations of 12 hypothetical Pleistocene refugia (HPRs) in its southern marginal part and estimating their relative contributions to the gene pools of seven phylogeographic population groups (PPGs) in the glaciated zone of the range. Using Nei’s (1978) minimum genetic distances (DN78 < 0.015) reflecting similarities and differences in allele frequencies between PPGs and the refugia, it has been shown that the main contributions to the P. sylvestris gene pool in Central Europe, Scandinavia, and the Russian Plain were probably made by the Balkan and Southern Ural refugia, and in Western and Central Siberia, by the Southern Ural, Turgai, and Southern Siberian mountain refugia.

Analysis of geographic variation of chloroplast DNA in the eastern European and western Siberian (Tobol) groups of Calluna vulgaris populations isolated from each other for a long period of time has r