Genetic structure at neutral and putatively adaptive markers along altitudinal gradient in Pinus gerardiana. PhD research DAAD scholarship. (10/2019-10/2022)

Coordination: Oliver Gailing

Doktorand: Sayed Jalal Moosavi

Chehelghoza pine (Pinus gerardiana Wall. ex D.Don) is an important tree due to its economic value in Afghanistan. Chehelghoza pine naturally grows in arid mountainous regions in Afghanistan. It has little demand for soil fertility, and is capable of growing on excessively dry, barren hillsides with shallow soil.

Due to the lack of research institutions in Afghanistan as result of the war, Chehelghoza pine and generally all indigenous organisms in Afghanistan are orphan plants in research in the investigated area. The infrastructure, scientific basics and other requirements have collapsed during war years.

Therefore, this proposal is seeking an opportunity to conserve the genetic resources of Chehelghoza pine in Afghanistan. The main goal of this research is to identify the genetic structure, diversity and variation in different altitudes.

DNA markers are the most useful tools to characterize genetic differences between individual organisms, populations or species. Among DNA markers, Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) are commonly used to estimate genetic diversity, population structure, and differentiation in numerous plant species, especially in non-model plants like P. gerardiana for which the entries in the NCBI database and in other databases are very limited. To identify the genetic structure in Pinus gerardiana we will test and apply gene-based microsatellite markers that revealed high transferability across other pine species.

To achieve our goals we will: a) sample populations from two altitudinal gradients in Afghanistan, b) test gene-based and nuclear microsatellites for their transferability to Pinus gerardiana, c) amplify the polymorphic loci in the natural populations, and d) analyze patterns of genetic variation to search for loci under selection.

This research project is designed as PhD project to obtain a PhD degree at the Graduate School Forest and Agricultural Sciences, University of Göttingen. I chose Chehelghoza pine as study object, because conservation of this important tree is vital and necessary for local people. Since the species is a keystone species in the mountain ranges of eastern Afghanistan and its edible nuts contribute significantly to the economy of local people, Chehelghoza pine is considered as an important forest tree.