High molecular diversity in the true service tree (Sorbus domestica) despite rareness: data from Europe with special reference to the Austrian occurrence: Masterarbeit
True service tree (Sorbus domestica L.) is one of the rarest deciduous tree species in Europe. It is characterized by its high demand for light and by its scattered distribution. However, long seed- and pollen dispersal distances as well as pre- and postzygotic incompatibility mechanisms let assume relative high levels of genetic variability within and among populations. Up to now, there a only few studies dealing with population genetics of this rare but silvicultural interesting species and these studies focused mainly on within-population dynamics. The aim of this work is to infer levels of genetic variability for the first time within the whole distribution range and to contribute to the following questions: Where are "hotspots" of diversity and how could postglacial recolonization proced? Keywords: Chloroplast DNA; gene flow; genetic variability; habitat fragmentation; nuclear microsatellites; self-incompatibility; Rosaceae; Sorbus domestica; true service tree
