Analysis of pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.) by means of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula

In the area of the western Balkans, xerothermal broad-leaf forests hold a very special position, the main species being pubescent oak (Quercus pubescens Willd.). The study comprises 36 populations of pubescent oak from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia. Genetic variability and population diversity was analysed on chloroplast DNA in order to determine to which haplotype an individual or studied population belongs, as well as how they are related. For the detection of one haplotype analysed four sequences (AS, TF, DT and CD) on the chloroplasts DNA. The results of the analysis suggest that there are six different haplotypes of pubescent oak (2, 4, 5, 17, 31, 33) in the studied populations. Two more sub-haplotypes were found in haplotype 5 (a and b), but only in populations occurring in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The results suggest the great variability of pubescent oak in the researched area, which is generally characteristic of other species from the area of the Balkan Peninsula. The results obtained by means of cpDNA analysis can help in the formation of seed zones. However, due to the strong selection pressure of unplanned logging, and the possible introduction of herbal material of unknown origin, it is necessary to find a sufficient number of autochthonous entities (i.e., populations of the researched species) as well as new suitable markers for their characterization. The results of this paper constitute a scientifically recognised, partial examination of the origin of the starting forest reproductive material from the broader geographic area, thus serving future projects on its regeneration.