Contribution to the postglacial history at the western margin of Picea abies' natural area using RAPD markers

RAPD analysis was used (I) to assess the diversity of indigenous Picea abies within the French massifs (Alps. Jura and Vosges) in comparison with the Hercyno-Carpathian and Alpine domains (central Europe); and (2) to examine the molecular relationships among provenances of these massifs and domains. One hundred and thirty-seven polymorphic RAPD fragments were screened. Results showed that the phenotypic diversity estimates within the different massifs and domains analysed were similarly high. Factorial correspondence and cluster analyses revealed geographical structuring along a latitudinal gradient among the French massifs and a longitudinal gradient from eastern Europe to France. Provenances from the southern French Alps appeared to be genetically distinct from the others. Hypothetical postglacial pathways into the French massifs are proposed and the putative implications of an additional refuge located in the Tuscan Apennines is discussed. (C) 2000 Annals of Botany Company.