Genetics Matter: Forest Tree Species at Risk
Many forest tree species and populations face serious threats to their long-term viability, most seriously from insect and disease infestation and from the effects of climate change. To conserve the genetic foundation tree species need to survive and adapt in the face of these threats, forest management decisions must consider how genetic diversity is distributed across species’ ranges. An Eastern Threat Center cooperating scientist from North Carolina State University (NCSU) is the lead analyst for range-wide genetic variation studies of three species: ponderosa pine, a species with isolated populations of special concern given their susceptibility to climate change, development, and bark beetles; and eastern hemlock and Carolina hemlock, which are being decimated by an exotic insect. A study published in the American Journal of Botany for the first time uncovers evolutionary groups within ponderosa pine that may have different responses to climate change, bark beetles, and other threats. A paper published in the journal Tree Genetics & Genomes describes a separate study of population-level genetic diversity in ponderosa pine. The Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service’s National Forest System are utilizing the results from both studies for management and conservation activities in the western United States. Characterization of the genetic diversity and structure of eastern hemlock species, published in the journal Conservation Genetics, is being used in genetic gap analyses to ensure that seed collections by NCSU’s Camcore conservation cooperative adequately sample the species’ genetic variation. A genetic diversity study of Carolina hemlock, which exists in only a small number of isolated populations, is currently under review.
Right: Researchers have discovered evolutionary groups within ponderosa pine that may have different responses to climate change, bark beetles, and other threats. Photo by Kevin Potter, North Carolina State University.
References:
Potter, K.M.; Hipkins, V.D.; Mahalovich, M.F.; Means, R.E. 2013. Mitochondrial DNA haplotype distribution patterns in Pinus ponderosa (pinaceae): range-wide evolutionary history and implications for conservation. American Journal of Botany 100(8):1562–1579.
Potter, K.M.; Jetton, R.M.; Dvorak, W.S.; Hipkins, V.D.; Rhea, R.; Whittier, W.A. 2012. Widespread inbreeding and unexpected geographic patterns of genetic variation in eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), an imperiled North American conifer. Conservation Genetics 13:475–498.
Potter, K.M.; Dvorak, W.S.; Crane, B.S.; Hipkins, V.D.; Jetton, R.M.; Whittier, W.A.; Rhea, R. 2008. Allozyme variation and recent evolutionary history of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) in the southeastern United States. New Forests 35:131-145.
Forest Service Partners/Collaborators: Forest Health Protection; National Forest System; Southern Research Station (Southern Institute of Forest Genetics)
External Partners/Collaborators: North Carolina State University; Bureau of Land Management
Contact: Kevin Potter
