Abstracts

We have started expanding our investigations of aspen and white poplar (Populus alba) phylogeography from Europe into Northern Eurasia. We are investigating variation in chloroplast DNA in order to reconstruct the evolution of the chloroplast DNA molecule, and to make inferences on any shifts of the distribution ranges of the species during the last glaciations, i.e. post-glacial re-colonization. It is interesting to us whether European populations evolved independently, or if populations form the rest of the vast distribution range of P. tremula contributed to the present genetic diversity in Europe (via gene flow, including hybridization, or long-distance migration events). Five regions in the chloroplast have been identified as polymorphic in one (or both) species in Europe. While a number of chloroplast variants (haplotypes) are present in both species in Europe, a geographical structure is only evident in P. alba, while P. tremula shows no evidence of separate evolution of sub-populations (e.g. during the ice ages). With the help of colleagues, we have now obtained samples from the Moscow area, Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk/Krasnoyarsk, and Kyrgizstan. Preliminary results indicate that at least two of the chloroplast regions are also polymorphic in some of the samples. A comparison of haplotypes and their distributions in Europe and Russa / Central Asia will be presented.

Note. Abstracts are published in author's edition

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© 1996-2000, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Science, Novosibirsk