Genetic variation of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) in the urban woodlands of Helsinki

ABSTRACTWe present a genetic profile of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.) in three woodlands of the Helsinki region. We genotyped all mature trees and samples of seedlings to evaluate patterns of genetic variation and gene flow, and evaluate the long-term stability and natural regeneration of these stands. Although five microsatellite loci showed no significant differences in heterozygosity between generations in most locations, significant (p < .05) pairwise differences were observed between mature trees and seedlings at Seurasaari, with higher diversity within seedlings. Ninety-four percent of the genetic variation occurred within sample sites. Background pollination contributed up to 61% of the diversity among seedlings, and thereby plays an important role in shaping the genetic variation and structure of future generations. Results indicate that pedunculate oak trees in the surveyed parks of Helsinki belong to the same population and that the urban environment per se does not interfere with gene flow...