Inheritance of RAPD and I-SSR Markers and Population Parameters Estimation in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

The Mendelian inheritance of RAPD and I-SSR markers has been assessed using a progeny from a controlled crosses in European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Out of a total of 165 amplification products 30 Mendelian markers with dominant mode of gene action were found. A subset of 11 markers has been used to estimate population parameters in a sample of 46 trees from a natural stand in the Northern Apennines (Italy). As expected we observed higher expected heterozygosity than reported in literature for allozyme studies of this species. The same subset of markers was used for assessing paternity of 81 seedlings belonging to 9 open-pollinated sibships of 9 individual each. In spite of the low power of the analysis (only 2 unambiguous paternity assignments out of 46 potential fathers), the results seem in agreement with the lack of spatial clustering already known for the species.