Forest Research: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Genetic Considerations for Selecting the Seedlings to Restore a Small Population of Abies koreana, an Endangered Fir Species that is Endemic to Korea

Hyo-In Lim1*, Seung-Beom Chae1, Kyung-Tae Kim2

Korean fir (Abies koreana E.H. Wilson), which is a Korean endemic species that has been designated as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, has been declining by approximately 33% in its natural habitat. There are three large and six small populations with a relatively large and small number of individuals, respectively. The Korean fir population in Mt. Geumwonsan is known to have only 20 adult trees and approximately 23 seedlings. It was also observed that the seed production was extremely poor, while the genetic diversity (He=0.612) is lower than that of other large populations in Korea, with a very high fixation index of the seedlings (F=0.318). Therefore, there is a high risk of local extinction due to the inbreeding effect with the limited number of trees and a great need to implement restoration projects immediately to reduce the risk. Selecting the restoration materials for the small population needs to consider the genetic diversity and uniqueness of the natural population while enhancing their adaptability and resilience against environmental change. Hence, to restock the Korean firs into the Geumwonsan population, we evaluated the genetic similarity between the populations in Korea and suggested a guideline to select the appropriate materials for restoration.

 

Published Date: 2020-10-21; Received Date: 2020-09-21