Geographically Related Variation in Epicuticular Wax Traits of Pinus nigra Populations from Southern Carpathians and Central Balkans - Taxonomic Considerations.
The chemical composition of epicuticular waxes of nine populations from three Pinus nigra J. F. Arnold subspecies (namely subsp. nigra, subsp. banatica (Borbás) Novák, and subsp. pallasiana (Lamb.) Holmboe) from Southern Carpathians and central Balkan Peninsula were analyzed using GC/MS and GC/FID chromatography, and multivariate statistical techniques with respect to biogeography and taxonomy. In the needle waxes, four primary alcohols and 14 n-alkanes ranging from C21 to C33 were identified, and the most abundant compounds were the four odd-numbered n-alkanes C27 , C25 , C23 , and C29. Multivariate statistical analyses (CDA and CA) have shown existence of three P. nigra groups and suggested clinal differentiation as a mechanism of genetic variation across a geographic area: the first group consisted of the southernmost populations of subsp. pallasiana from Macedonia, the second consisted of the northernmost subsp. banatica populations from Romania, while all populations in Serbia described as three different subspecies (nigra, banatica, and pallasiana) formed the third group together with subsp. nigra population from Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to simple linear regression, geographic latitude and four bioclimatic parameters were moderately correlated with the contents of epicuticular wax compounds that are important in population discrimination, while stepwise multiple regression showed that latitude participated in most of the regression models for predicting the composition of the epicuticular waxes. These results agree with CDA and CA analysis, and confirmed the possibility of recognition of fine geographic differentiation of the analyzed P. nigra populations.
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000, Niš, Serbia. saraczorica@gmail.com.
Zorica S
ZS
Mitić
Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000, Niš, Serbia.
Bojan K
BK
Zlatković
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000, Niš, Serbia. gocast@pmf.ni.ac.rs.
Snežana Č
SČ
Jovanović
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, University of Niš, Višegradska 33, 18000, Niš, Serbia.
Gordana S
GS
Stojanović
Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden 'Jevremovac', Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia. pdmarin@bio.bg.ac.rs.
Petar D
PD
Marin
D063368:Balkan Peninsula; D017522:Bosnia and Herzegovina; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D058974:Phylogeography; D028223:Pinus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification*; D012383:Romania; D055771:Serbia; D014885:Waxes / Q000032:analysis*
D014885:Waxes
Balkans; Carpathians; Clinal differentiation; Pinus nigra; Wax composition