RELATIONSHIPS AMONG 5 POPULATIONS OF EUROPEAN BLACK PINE (PINUS-NIGRAARN.) USING MORPHOMETRIC AND ISOZYME MARKERS

Five European populations belonging to 3 subspecies of Pinus nigra ARN . (ssps. nigra, salzmanii, laricio) were analysed for 4 morphometric s eeds characters (length, width, wing scar and weight/10 seeds) and for 23 isozyme loci. Significant differences were detected among the popu lations for the morphometric markers. Five isozyme systems (PGM, MDH, B-PGD, SOD and EST) presented diagnostic loci that allowed the identif ication of Corsican population and others. Moreover, statistically sig nificant differences among allele frequencies were found using aconita se (AGO) glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) and esterase (EST) isozyme systems. The greatest amount of the total genetic diversity de tected was localized within the populations. Genetic heterogeneity amo ng populations indicated that only 30.9% of the total genetic diversit y was interpopulations. The dendrogram obtained using genetic distance s among populations indicated the existence of 3 groups, corresponding to the 3 subspecies. This data clearly pointed out that the Corsican population is the most distant, with relative lack of genetic variatio n, probably due to its geographic isolation.