ALTITUDINAL VARIATION IN PINUS-BRUTIA TEN. AND ITS IMPLICATION IN GENETIC CONSERVATION AND SEED TRANSFERS IN SOUTHERN TURKEY

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 st udy 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 anal yses. Population parameters for 6-year height growth showed that middl e 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 sta bility under varying environmental conditions. Furthermore, isoenzyme analyses indicated that middle-elevation populations have a higher het erozygosity 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 si tu conservation, and they can serve much wider elevational zones for a fforestation and reforestation purposes than the lower and higher elev ation populations. Therefore, they should be given high priority in fo rest tree breeding and selection activities in the region.