Allozyme variability and evolution of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia) and jack pine (P. banksiana) in Alberta

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Abstract
Genetic variability in 5 lodgepole pine (P. contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) and 3 jack pine (P. banksiana Lamb.) populations from Alberta was analyzed electrophoretically for 14 enzymes presumably representing 21 structural loci. Single populations of lodgepole pine were, on the average, polymorphic and heterozygous at 51.4 and 18.4% of their loci, respectively, and had 2.5 alleles/locus. Jack pine populations were less variable genetically; the average number of alleles/locus was 2.1, and 46 and 11.5% of their loci were polymorphic and heterozygous, respectively. Analysis of F statistics showed a 2.5 and 9.7% deficiency of heterozygotes relative to Hardy-Weinberg expectations for lodgepole pine and jack pine populations, respectively. Only 2% of the observed genetic variability in each species appeared to be interpopulation, the remainder was due to differences among individuals within populations, in agreement with results from other conifers. Average genetic distance between the 2 spp. was 20 times greater (0.097) than between populations within species (0.005). The enzyme data were concordant with earlier hypotheses that the 2 spp. evolved from a common progenitor.