Adaptive differentiation in seedling traits in a hybrid pine species complex, Pinus densata and its parental species, on the Tibetan Plateau.

ABSTRACT: Evidence from molecular genetics demonstrates that Pinus densata is a natural homoploid hybrid originating from the parent species Pinus tabuliformis and Pinus yunnanensis, and ecological selection may have played a role in the speciation of P. densata. However, data on differentiation in adaptive traits in the species complex are scarce. In this study, we performed a common garden test on 16 seedling traits to examine the differences between P. densata and its parental species in a high altitude environment. We found that among the 16 analyzed traits, 15 were significantly different among the species. Pinus tabuliformis had much earlier bud set and a relatively higher bud set ratio but poorer seedling growth, and P. yunnanensis had opposite responses for the same traits. P. densata had th

SUBMITTER: Meng J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4355066 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature