Dynamics of forest trees biodiversity: linking genetic, palaeogenetic and plant historical approaches

PROPOSAL: EVK2-1999-00036 ACRONYM FOSSILVA
AREA: FP5 - EESD, 5/ unknown KeyAction Call number / date: -
PROJECT TYPE: Shared Cost EU CONTRIBUTION: 1,580,000
STARTING DATE: 2000-03-01 DURATION: 36 months

Coordinator: Prof.dr. G. Peiffer, Univ. Economie, Sciences d'Aix Marseille, Inst. Mediter. D'Ecologie, Paleoecologie, Ave Escadrille Normandie, FR -13397, Marseille, France, Email: doyen.fst@affgles.u-3mrs.fr

Project Description:
When and how did forest trees have come to occupy their present range in Europe, after the last ice-age, when re-immigrating from their refugia? And what have been the consequences of these huge population movements on their levels of genetic diversity and their potential to cope to new climatic challenges? Since several decades, paleobotanists have attempted to understand the origin and migrations of our forest trees, using mostly fossil pollen remains. However, it is not always possible to distinguish the pollen of related tree species,and most of the migration routes inferred from these records remain hypothetical. Recently, the development of DNA techniques has shed new light on the re-immigration of trees. So far, these studies have been based on the sampling of existing tree populations only. But more direct historical evidence could be provided by molecular investigations of ancient tree remains excavated by the paleobotanists, provided that appropriate laboratory methods could be developed. Scientific objectives and approaches FOSSILVA aims at improving our understanding of the origin of the major European tree species. It associates geneticists and palaeoecologists in order to confront both approaches and to develop a new one, the palaeogenetic exploration of tree remains. Different types of plant remains (such as wood, macrofossils, pollen) are being tested for their ability to yield DNA suitable for genetic investigations. Fossil samples arestudied in parallel with DNA isolated from living trees, to identify the relationships between modern tree populations and their putative ancestors, and check for possible human disturbances. The study area of the project is restricted to south western and western Europe, and focuses on six tree species. These include two broad-leaved species (beech and oaks) and four conifers (two species of pines, fir and spruce). These trees were selected for several reasons: their present day genetic diversity has already been explored, hypotheses on their history exist but need to be validated, and they are of major economical and ecological importance. Part of the project consists in the production of a molecular atlas for the taxonomic identification of European woody plants; it should allow the identification of wood remainsfrom minute amounts of material. Another major goal is the development of 'clean' strategies that allow to analyse very small amounts of DNA, while avoiding contamination in the field and in the lab. New migration maps of these speciesare also being constructed or updated based on the traditional fossil pollen data, complemented by the more scattered information provided by larger fossils (leaves, fruits, wood...). The analysis of the spatio-temporal dynamics of these species isthe final objective and relies on a comparison of the distribution of specific maternal lineages within each tree species through time and space (in 20 European forests). Expected impacts The project will help improve the management of our forest ecosystems, since it will provide a mean to distinguish native from introducedpopulations of forest trees. For conservation purposes, autochthonous resources are of special interest. For management purposes, comparisons between planted and native stands will be facilitated, to help the manager take the appropriate decisions. Inaddition, scenarios for evaluating the reaction of tree species to the announced global warming may be tested using the data generated by the project. Because of its innovative character, the project will provide the methodological tools for applications to other forest trees and plants. The techniques and databases developed (molecular atlas, macrofossil and pollen database) will be useful for other purposes, for instance for technical applications, such as the identification of species and geographic origin of wood fragments, in the fields of archaeology or museology, for instance (wood forensics).

Project URL: http://www.imep-cnrs.com/fossilva/home.htm

Consortium:
Co-ordinator: Contact Person: Peiffer, Gilbert (Professor) Department: Institut Mediterraneen D'Ecologie Et De Paleoecologie Organisation: Universite de Droit d'Economie et des Sciences d'Aix Marseille Ave Escadrille Normandie -Niemen Faculte des Sciences St Jerome 13397 MARSEILLE FRANCE Tel: +33-4-42172720 Fax: +33-4-42640396 doyen.fst@affgles.u-3mrs.fr Participants Contact Person: SCHAUBLIN, Christoph (Professor) Department: GEOBOTANISCHES INSTITUT Organisation: Universitaet Bern 21 Altenbergrain 21 3013 BERN SWITZERLAND Contact Person: CHASSIN, Pierre (Dr) Department: UNITE DE RECHERCHES FORESTIERES CENTRE DE RECHERCHE DE BORDEAUX - AQUITAINE Organisation: Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique Domaine de l'Hermitage 33611 CANEJAN FRANCE Contact Person: ROHWER, Egbert (Dr) Department: INSTITUT FUR FORSTGENETIK UND FORSTPFLANZENZUCHTUNG Organisation: Bundesforschungsanstalt fur Forst und Holzwirtschaft Sieker Landstra?e 2 22927 Grosshansdorf GERMANY Contact Person: BROGGI, Mario F. (Dr) Department: BIODIVERSITY DEPT Organisation: Eidgenossische Forschungsanstalt fur Wald, Schnee und Landschaft Zurcherstrasse 111 8903 BIRMENSDORF SWITZERLAND Contact Person: LUTZ, Reinhardt (Dr) Department: INSTITUT FUR PALAONTOLOGIE Organisation: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universitat Bonn Nussallee 8 53115 BONN GERMANY Contact Person: DE CHERISEY, Hugues (Dr) Organisation: Sylvabio S.A.S. Allee du Doyen Georges Brus 2, Parc Scientifique Unitech 1 33600 PESSAC FRANCE Contact Person: ZILHAO, Joao (Mr) Organisation: Instituto portugues de Arqueologia Av. da India 136 1300-300 LISBOA PORTUGAL Contact Person: BLASI, Carlo (Professor) Department: LABORATORIO DI PALEOBOTANICA E PALINOLOGIA DEPARTMENT OF PLANT BIOLOGY - FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS AND NATURAL SCIENCES Organisation: University of Rome "La Sapienza" Piazzale Aldo Moro 5 00185 ROMA ITALY Contact Person: GIANNINI, Raffaello (Professor) Department: FOREST TREE BREEDING INSTITUTE Organisation: National Research Council of Italy Via Atto Vannucci 13 50134 FIRENZE ITALY Contact Person: SOLA I FERRANDO, Carles (Dr) Department: LABORATORY OF BOTANICS DEPARTAMENT DE BIOLOGIA ANIMAL, BIOLOGIA VEGETAL I ECOLOGIA - FACULTAT DE CIENCES Organisation: Autonomous University of Barcelona 08193 BELLATERRA SPAIN Contact Person: FEUERSTEIN, Claude (Professor) Department: LABORATOIRE DE BIOLOGIE DES POPULATIONS D'ALTITUDE Organisation: Universite Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 Rue de la Piscine 2233 BP 53 38041 GRENOBLE FRANCE


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