RELATION BETWEEN GENETIC DIVERSITY AND POLLUTION IMPACT IN A 1912 EXPERIMENT WITH EAST EUROPEAN PINUS-SYLVESTRIS PROVENANCES

Results are presented of genetic variation and growth decline due to p ollution for 11 European populations, 1 Turkish population, and 1 Sibe rian population of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in a prove nance experiment established in 1912 in Pulawy, southeastern Poland. S ince 1966 this area has been subjected to acute pollution from a nitro gen-fertilizer factory emitting high levels of SO2, NOx, NH3, and othe r toxic compounds. A significant negative correlation was found betwee n genotype polymorphism indices and radial growth decline since 1966 a ssessed using tree-ring analysis (r = -0.58, P = 0.04). Populations wi th the highest values for genotype polymorphism index, numbers of alle les per locus, and numbers of genotypes per locus exhibited less of a decline in radial growth than those populations with lower values for these parameters. The results provide experimental support for the hyp othesis that genetically richer populations are better adapted to chan ging conditions and suggest that such populations are less sensitive t o air pollution in terms of growth reduction.