Life history and genetic diversity in red pine: implications for gene conservation in forestry

Abstract

Pinus resinosa is a suffusively rare species throughout its geographical range, occurring as small, highly fragmented populations. Such species are particularly vulnerable to the genetic and demographic stochasticity that can lead to local extinction and losses of genetic variation. Red pine illustrates the difficulty that species with long generation times have in recovering genetic diversity once it has been lost. Newfoundland's red pine population provides an example for a broader discussion of concepts in population ecology and genetics useful in developing gene conservation efforts for tree populations characterized by fragmented distributions, small population sizes, and declining population numbers. -from Author