Elucidating the role of genetic drift and natural selection in cork oak differentiation regarding drought tolerance

摘要: Drought is the main selection agent in Mediterranean ecosystems and it has been suggested as an important evolutionary force responsible for population diversification these types of environments. However, divergence quantitative traits can be driven by either natural selection, genetic drift or both. To investigate roles forces on among-population ecophysiological related to drought tolerance (carbon isotope discrimination, specific leaf area, size nitrogen content), we compared molecular differentiation a common garden experiment including thirteen cork oak (Quercus suber L.) populations across gradient rainfall temperature. Population height, content measured during dry year far exceeded six nuclear microsatellites. Populations from dry-cool sites showed lowest smallest thickest leaves contrasting with those humid-warm sites. These results suggest (i) are subjected (ii) differences among partly due climate adaptation. By contrast, low found basal diameter, annual growth carbon isotopic discrimination (a surrogate water use efficiency) suggests no traits. Among-population neutral markers was not good predictor regarding studied here, except size. The correlation observed between that exclusively association microsatellite QpZAG46, which possible linkage QpZAG46 genes encoding