Biochemical and molecular genetic methods available for the characterization of Populus nigra L.

摘要

The conservation of genetic resources requires a detailed knowledge of the underlying genetic variation that causes the diversity we observe in a species. We need to know, for example, whether populations that we find in the field are very divergedfrom each other or not, or whether individuals within one population are very similar to each other or not. Practical measures of conservation can be based on this information, e.g. which clones to include in collections of P. nigra, how to restore close-to-nature poplar stands, and so on. While the assessment of visible traits is often straightforward, we do not always know about their inheritance. Genetic markers as revealed by biochemical techniques, on the other hand, allow the direct study of genesof the species. An overview on DNA marker technologies has recently been given by Karp et al. (1997), and in more detail by Westman and Kresovich (1997). Hayward and Sackville Hamilton's (1997) chapter deals with the interaction of population structure,as measured by molecular markers, and conservation matters. In this short overview, laboratory tests for inherited traits that (i) distinguish between P. nigra and other Populus species and hybrids (introgression), (ii) allow an assessment of genetic diversity within P. nigra, and (iii) distinguish different clones, will be discussed.