Demographic History of Scots Pine in the Pleistocene in Northern Eurasia and the Caucasus Region Based on an Analysis of Nuclear Microsatellite Loci

Using nine nuclear microsatellite loci (nSSR), the structure of genetic variability of Scots pine in the Black Sea–Caucasus region, Eastern Europe, the Urals, Siberia, and the Russian Far East has been studied and the demographic history of these population groups has been investigated using approximate Bayesian computations (ABC) analysis. A significant differentiation between the populations of the Eastern Black Sea Region (EBSR) and the main areal is confirmed, while the time of divergence between these groups is estimated at 0.5 million BP. The differentiation of the populations of the Greater Caucasus into western and eastern populations is found, probably due to migrations of Eastern European populations to the Western Caucasus. The nSSR similarity of the populations of Crimea and Asia Minor is shown, probably as a result of their relatively recent differentiation. nSSR analysis reveals a significant differentiation between the populations of the Russian Far East and the rest of the populations of the northern part of the range. The divergence time between these groups of populations is estimated using ABC analysis at 97 000 BP, which confirms the survival of the Scots pine in the Russian Far East during the last glacial maximum (LGM).