Comperatyve Studies Of The Significance Of Competition Indices And Genetic Diversity Of Scots Pine Trees On Their Reaction To Changes In Meteorology And Air Pollution

Abstract

The aim of this study was to detect the significance of the ocompetition index vs. genotype of Scots pine trees to thier reactions to changes in meteorology and air pollution. Tree health, dendrometric parameters and stem basal area increment were chosen as response variables to meet the objectives of the presented study. The investigation was carried out at Scots pine genetic stand located in Aukštaitija national park, Vaišniunai district. Data on meteorology and air pollutants were obtained from ICP Integrated Monitoring Station located there. Genetically related individual groups in the stand were established by the neutral part of the genome of short repeated DNA sequence length polymorphism markers. Trees of distinctive short repeated sequences allele frequencies were grouped by Bayesian cluster analysis methods. Six competition indices based on relative crown parameters, such as tree crown horizontal and vertical projection area m2 were used to determine significance of the competition intensity to the tree increment and their dendrometric parameters including crown health in general. The obtained results revealed that trees which demonstrated the most intensive radial growth, best crown condition and the most significant reaction to changes in meteorology and air pollution comprised the separate trees genetic group while trees with adverse characteristic - another. Notwithstanding this multiregression analysis revealed that competition intensity had more significant effect on BAI formation and tree dendrometric parameters in general than tree genotype. The study is based on the results obtained conducting national project supported by Lithuanian Council of Research “FOREstRESS” (SIT- 3/2015).