Genetic diversity in Prunus spinosa L. – challenges in the use of autochthonous sources

Genetic diversity in natural stands of autochthonous blackthorn (Prunus spinosa L.) of different German provenances has been analyzed using a highly reproducible high-annealing-temperature random amplified polymorphic DNA (HAT-RAPD) protocol. The findings were compared to those from seedstocks of the same provenances, reported earlier. Generally, genetic diversity in the natural stands was even lower (Ho 0.099–0.116) compared to the corresponding seedstocks (Ho 0.118–0.133). Furthermore, genetic differentiation was found to be moderate between natural residential sources (pairwise Fst 0.138–0.184, 22.527% variation among populations), but higher than between the seedstocks (pairwise Fst 0.086-0.104, 7.782% variation among populations). The findings are discussed in respect to German conservation law and its practical implementation.