Evaluation of mating dynamics in a lodgepole pine seed orchard using chloroplast DNA markers

Chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) markers were used to evaluate pollen dynamics in an operational lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) seed orchard. High levels of cpDNA differentiation were obtained using six primer pairs specific to simple sequence repeat (SSR) and variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) loci dispersed around the lodgepole pine chloroplast genome. In 69 orchard parents genotypes, 46 multilocus haplotypes were detected with 31 of these being unique (i.e., having only one orchard parent). The number of variants (alleles) per locus ranged from two to seven with gene diversity levels of 0.44-0.72. Evaluation of wind-pollinated seedlots of 15 selected clones using these markers indicated low levels of selfing (2%) and pollen contamination (5%) but showed evidence of relatively high levels of differential male reproductive success.