GENETIC DIVERSITY IN PINUS-BRUTIA TEN - ALTITUDINAL VARIATION

The aim of this study was to describe the genetic structure of Pinus b rutia TEN. subsp. brutia (NAHAL, 1983) growing at different elevations in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, and to use these data to define se ed collection and transfer zones. Isoenzyme analysis was performed on the maternal tissue of seeds to investigate the relationship between a llele frequencies and altitude of populations occurring over a narrow geographic region in the vicinity of Antalya, in southern Turkey Twent y-three loci encoding 14 enzyme systems were analyzed and 17 of these loci (69.6%), encoding 10 enzyme systems, were found to be polymorphic (69.6%). The mean genetic diversity within populations (H-s) was 0.26 3 and the mean total genetic diversity (H-t), 0.278, therefore, the pr oportion of total diversity among populations (G(st)) was only 0.053; the mean degree of inbreeding within populations (F-is) was 0.167. Def iciency of heterozygotes was found in the Mnr-1, Mdh-4, 6Pgd-2 and Mpi loci. The results indicate that most of the genetic diversity in P. b rutia is within populations. Significant relations were found between allele frequencies and altitude in Mdh-1, Mdh-4 and Skdh-1, Aco and Gd h enzyme systems. These results support earlier conclusions, based on several different methods of genetic research, concerning the existenc e of altitudinal clinal variation in Pinus brutia. subsp. brutia in th e various traits analyzed. Hence, the importance of defining seed coll ection and transfer zones.