ALLOZYMIC VARIABILITY IN BEECHWOODS (FAGUS-SYLVATICA L) OVER CENTRAL-EUROPE - SPATIAL DIFFERENTIATION AMONG AND WITHIN POPULATIONS

One hundred and forty beech stands located in central and Mediterranean Europe have been analysed using six enzymatic loci (PX-1, PX-2, GOT-1, IDH-1, MDH-1 and PGI-1). They were investigated on allelic and genotypic levels with the aim of estimating the intra- and inter-population components of their genetic differentiation. Four loci (PX-1, PX-2, MDH-1 and IDH-1) were found rather polymorphic whereas the remaining two (GOT-1 and PGI-1) showed a lower degree of polymorphism. Significant association of climate and allelic diversity was found for two loci (PX-1 and PX-2). Differences between the continental and the Mediterranean regions are sometimes significant at the allelic level, especially for GOT-1, MDH-1 and IDH-1 loci. In all cases, the inter-population component of the diversity is much lower than the intra-population one but it is higher in the Mediterranean region except in the PGI-1 locus.