The Potential of Aspen Clonal Forestry in Alberta: Breeding Regions and Estimates of Genetic Gain from Selection
| Autor: | Andreas Hamann, Barb R. Thomas, Jean S. Brouard, Tim Gylander |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2012 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Evolutionary Processes Forest management lcsh:Medicine Evolutionary Selection Growing season Plant Science Breeding Biology Plant Genetics 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Trees Alberta Latitude Genetic variation Genetics Selection Genetic lcsh:Science Phylogeny Plant Growth and Development 040101 forestry 2. Zero hunger Evolutionary Biology Multidisciplinary Ecology lcsh:R Diameter at breast height Genetic Variation Sowing Agriculture Forestry 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Plants 15. Life on land Phenotype Populus Genetic gain Regression Analysis 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries lcsh:Q Research Article Developmental Biology Clonal selection |
| Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 7, Iss 8, p e44303 (2012) |
| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
| DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0044303 |
| Popis: | Background Aspen naturally grows in large, single-species, even-aged stands that regenerate clonally after fire disturbance. This offers an opportunity for an intensive clonal forestry system that closely emulates the natural life history of the species. In this paper, we assess the potential of genetic tree improvement and clonal deployment to enhance the productivity of aspen forests in Alberta. We further investigate geographic patterns of genetic variation in aspen and infer forest management strategies under uncertain future climates. Methodology/Principal Findings Genetic variation among 242 clones from Alberta was evaluated in 13 common garden trials after 5–8 growing seasons in the field. Broad-sense heritabilities for height and diameter at breast height (DBH) ranged from 0.36 to 0.64, allowing 5–15% genetic gains in height and 9–34% genetic gains in DBH. Geographic partitioning of genetic variance revealed predominant latitudinal genetic differentiation. We further observed that northward movement of clones almost always resulted in increased growth relative to local planting material, while southward movement had a strong opposite effect. Conclusion/Significance Aspen forests are an important natural resource in western Canada that is used for pulp and oriented strandboard production, accounting for ∼40% of the total forest harvest. Moderate to high broad-sense heritabilities in growth traits suggest good potential for a genetic tree improvement program with aspen. Significant productivity gains appear possible through clonal selection from existing trials. We propose two breeding regions for Alberta, and suggest that well-tested southern clones may be used in the northern breeding region, accounting for a general warming trend observed over the last several decades in Alberta. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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