Patterns of Genetic Variation Among Populations of Poa pratensis L. and Agrostis capillaris L. from Britain and Iceland

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Abstract
Populations of Agrostis capillaris L., an outbreeding grass species, and Poa pratensis L., an apomictic grass species, were simultaneously collected from contrasting climatic areas and soil conditions. The climatic areas were: south-east England (Rothamsted), southern Iceland (Samasstadir), northern Iceland (Akureyri), and two higher altitude sites in Iceland (Gullfoss and Skalafell). Plots at the first three sites had received either no known fertilizer application, or applications of fertilizer for at least 30 years. The populations were grown in spaced-plant trials at Reading (England) and Korpa (Iceland). Significant differences were found between populations for most of the attributes measured. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the largest differences existed between climatic areas, particularly between British and Icelandic populations. Smaller differences were found between populations from soils receiving different fertilizer applications. The pattern of differences was generally similar for the two species, although differences tended to be clearer in Poa pratensis than in Agrostis capillaris. Genetic variation within populations differed significantly between sites, and sometimes between soils, but there was no consistent difference between the two species, in spite of their contrasting breeding systems.
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