Title: Ecological genetics of Pinus contorta in the Upper Snake River Basin of eastern Idaho and Wyoming
Identifier: ecologicalgeneti356rehf (find matches)
Year: 1986 (1980s)
Authors: Rehfeldt, G. E; Intermountain Research Station (Ogden, Utah)
Subjects: Lodgepole pine Idaho; Lodgepole pine Wyoming; Forests and forestry Research United States; Forest genetics; Trees Genetics
Publisher: Ogden, Utah : USDA Forest Service, Intermountain Research Station
Contributing Library: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library
Digitizing Sponsor: U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library

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Ecological Genetics of Pinus contorta in the Upper Snake River Basin of Eastern Idaho and Wyoming Q. E. Rehfeldt INTRODUCTION Ecological genetics is devoted to exploring the ecologi- cal bases for adaptive differentiation between popula- tions. In lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.), differentiation of populations from both Canada (Lindgren and others 1980; Hagner 1980; Ying and others 1985) and the United States (Rehfeldt 1985b) is related to the geographic origin and elevation of the seed source. Adaptive clines, however, reflect environ- mental gradients. As a result, clines in British Columbia reflect the relatively gentle environmental gradients associated with a region of dissected plateaus. But in the rugged Rocky Mountains of the United States, adap- tive clines tend to be steep for a variety of traits that include growth potential, morphology, and cold hardi- ness (Rehfeldt 1980, 1983), patterns of shoot elongation (Rehfeldt and Wykoff 1981; Stoneman 1985; Rehfeldt 1985a), and resistance to insects and diseases (Hoff 1985). Regardless of geographic region, populations appear as physiological specialists for relatively small segments of the environmental gradient. Steep adaptive clines have direct relevance to forest management. Artificial reforestation carries the implicit goal of maximizing productivity while maintaining adaptedness. Steep clines require that seed for reforesta- tion be transferred only short distances along the environmental gradient if maladaptation and resultant losses in productivity are to be controlled. The present study is part of a series that (1) examines adaptive variation between lodgepole pine populations, (2) relates patterns of variation to geography, topogra- phy, physiography, and climate, and (3) develops seed transfer guidelines for reforestation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study of population differentiation included seed- lings from 60 populations, 51 of which represented the geographic distribution and ecologic amplitude of the species in the upper Snake River Basin (fig. 1). Addi- tional populations from peripheral areas provided a link to other studies in this series: four were from the Wasatch Mountains of Utah and southeastern Idaho;
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and location of populations. 1

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