Regioni di Provenienza per l'abete bianco

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is one of the most widespread conifer tree in Italy. It is common on the Alps, while in the Apennines populations are smaller and scattered. The present distribution of the species is however strongly influenced by human activities. In Italy at present there are 35 populations from which it is possible to collect seeds: however some of them are of allochtonous origin. Although the species at present is not threatened with extinction, preservation of genetic resources appears to be an important goal. 45 populations sampled over the entire Italian range of the species were analysed for genetic variation at 7 nuclear microsatellite loci. High levels of intra-population variability were scored, while about 8% of the total genetic diversity occurred among them. Additionally, the ecological characteristics of the collection sites were analysed and patterns of genetic and ecological variations were compared, allowing us to identify 5 areas that are both ecologically and genetically homogeneous and that are proposed as Region of provenance for silver fir in Italy.