Bundesministerium für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft (BMEL) –Waldklimafonds. Verbundvorhaben: Genetische Basis der Anpassung und Erhaltung anpassungsrelevanter Variation bei der Rotbuche. Teilvorhaben 1 (TV1): Erfassung genomweiter genetischer Variation bei der Rotbuche und ihre Assoziation mit Umweltvariablen und phänotypischen Merkmalen. (06/2020-06/2023)

In terms of ecological and economical importance, European beech is one of the mostimportant forest tree species in Germany. Abundance, distribution and performance of thisspecies will likely be influenced by climate change. Therefore, the unravelling of the geneticbasis of adaptation to changing environmental conditions is of major importance for its long-term conservation and adaptation. Experimental and genetic studies showed that beechpopulations can show different local adaptation. Thus, provenances from dry locationsshowed a better drought tolerance compared to provenances from moist locations.Nevertheless, the predicted rapid climatic changes will likely lead to an impairment of localadaptation. Therefore, the identification of adaptive genetic variation for differentenvironmental conditions is of vital importance for the conservation of this species.Therefore, the main aim of this project is to identify genetic variation for the adaptation ofbeech to different environmental conditions providing the basis for the identification ofindividuals and provenances, which will ensure a high adaptedness and productivity also inthe future. For this purpose, natural populations and provenance trials will be investigatedby means of high-throughput sequencing techniques (“genotyping by sequencing”) andpowerful statistical methods. Additionally, different phenotypic traits such as stem growth,specific leaf area, or stomatal density will be recorded. Finally, complementary methods willbe used for the identification of genes, which are associated with phenotypic andenvironmental variation. Our results will be used for breeding strategies improving theadaptation potential and productivity, and the management and conservation of beechforests under changing environmental conditions.