To learn more about the map elements, please download the "Pan-European strategy for genetic conservation of forest trees"
This distribution map has been developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre (partly based on the EUFORGEN map) and released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0)
Caudullo, G., Welk, E., San-Miguel-Ayanz, J., 2017. Chorological maps for the main European woody species. Data in Brief 12, 662-666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.05.007
The following experts have contributed to the development of the EUFORGEN distribution maps:
Fazia Krouchi (Algeria), Hasmik Ghalachyan (Armenia), Thomas Geburek (Austria), Berthold Heinze (Austria), Rudi Litschauer (Austria), Rudolf Litschauer (Austria), Michael Mengl (Austria), Ferdinand Müller (Austria), Franz Starlinger (Austria), Valida Ali-zade (Azerbaijan), Vahid Djalal Hajiyev (Azerbaijan), Karen Cox (Belgium), Bart De Cuyper (Belgium), Olivier Desteucq (Belgium), Patrick Mertens (Belgium), Jos Van Slycken (Belgium), An Vanden Broeck (Belgium), Kristine Vander Mijnsbrugge (Belgium), Dalibor Ballian (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Alexander H. Alexandrov (Bulgaria), Alexander Delkov (Bulgaria), Ivanova Denitsa Pandeva (Bulgaria), Peter Zhelev Stoyanov (Bulgaria), Joso Gracan (Croatia), Marilena Idzojtic (Croatia), Mladen Ivankovic (Croatia), Željka Ivanović (Croatia), Davorin Kajba (Croatia), Hrvoje Marjanovic (Croatia), Sanja Peric (Croatia), Andreas Christou (Cyprus), Xenophon Hadjikyriacou (Cyprus), Václav Buriánek (Czech Republic), Jan Chládek (Czech Republic), Josef Frýdl (Czech Republic), Petr Novotný (Czech Republic), Martin Slovacek (Czech Republic), Zdenek Špišek (Czech Republic), Karel Vancura (Czech Republic), Ulrik Bräuner (Denmark), Bjerne Ditlevsen (Denmark), Jon Kehlet Hansen (Denmark), Jan Svejgaard Jensen (Denmark), Kalev Jðgiste (Estonia), Tiit Maaten (Estonia), Raul Pihu (Estonia), Ülo Tamm (Estonia), Arvo Tullus (Estonia), Aivo Vares (Estonia), Teijo Nikkanen (Finland), Sanna Paanukoski (Finland), Mari Rusanen (Finland), Pekka Vakkari (Finland), Leena Yrjänä (Finland), Daniel Cambon (France), Eric Collin (France), Alexis Ducousso (France), Bruno Fady (France), François Lefèvre (France), Brigitte Musch (France), Sylvie Oddou-Muratorio (France), Luc E. Pâques (France), Julien Saudubray (France), Marc Villar (France), Vlatko Andonovski (FYR Macedonia), Dragi Pop-Stojanov (FYR Macedonia), Merab Machavariani (Georgia), Irina Tvauri (Georgia), Alexander Urushadze (Georgia), Bernd Degen (Germany), Jochen Kleinschmit (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Armin König (Germany), Volker Schneck (Germany), Richard Stephan (Germany), H. H. Kausch-Blecken Von Schmeling (Germany), Georg von Wühlisch (Germany), Iris Wagner (Germany), Heino Wolf (Germany), Paraskevi Alizoti (Greece), Filippos Aravanopoulos (Greece), Andreas Drouzas (Greece), Despina Paitaridou (Greece), Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou (Greece), Kostas Thanos (Greece), Sándor Bordács (Hungary), Csaba Mátyás (Hungary), László Nagy (Hungary), Thröstur Eysteinsson (Iceland), Adalsteinn Sigurgeirsson (Iceland), Halldór Sverrisson (Iceland), John Fennessy (Ireland), Ellen O'Connor (Ireland), Fulvio Ducci (Italy), Silvia Fineschi (Italy), Bartolomeo Schirone (Italy), Marco Cosimo Simeone (Italy), Giovanni Giuseppe Vendramin (Italy), Lorenzo Vietto (Italy), Janis Birgelis (Latvia), Virgilijus Baliuckas (Lithuania), Kestutis Cesnavicius (Lithuania), Darius Danusevicius (Lithuania), Valmantas Kundrotas (Lithuania), Alfas Pliûra (Lithuania), Darius Raudonius (Lithuania), Robert du Fays (Luxembourg), Myriam Heuertz (Luxembourg), Claude Parini (Luxembourg), Fred Trossen (Luxembourg), Frank Wolter (Luxembourg), Joseph Buhagiar (Malta), Eman Calleja (Malta), Ion Palancean (Moldova), Dragos Postolache (Moldova), Gheorghe Postolache (Moldova), Hassan Sbay (Morocco), Tor Myking (Norway), Tore Skrøppa (Norway), Anna Gugala (Poland), Jan Kowalczyk (Poland), Czeslaw Koziol (Poland), Jan Matras (Poland), Zbigniew Sobierajski (Poland), Maria Helena Almeida (Portugal), Filipe Costa e Silva (Portugal), Luís Reis (Portugal), Maria Carolina Varela (Portugal), Ioan Blada (Romania), Alexandru-Lucian Curtu (Romania), Lucian Dinca (Romania), Georgeta Mihai (Romania), Mihai Olaru (Romania), Gheorghe Parnuta (Romania), Natalia Demidova (Russian Federation), Mikhail V. Pridnya (Russian Federation), Andrey Prokazin (Russian Federation), Srdjan Bojovic (Serbia) , Vasilije Isajev (Serbia), Saša Orlovic (Serbia), Rudolf Bruchánik (Slovakia), Roman Longauer (Slovakia), Ladislav Paule (Slovakia), Gregor Bozič (Slovenia), Robert Brus (Slovenia), Katarina Celič (Slovenia), Hojka Kraigher (Slovenia), Andrej Verlič (Slovenia), Marjana Westergren (Slovenia), Ricardo Alía (Spain), Josefa Fernández-López (Spain), Luis Gil Sanchez (Spain), Pablo Gonzalez Goicoechea (Spain), Santiago C. González-Martínez (Spain), Sonia Martin Albertos (Spain), Eduardo Notivol Paino (Spain), María Arantxa Prada (Spain), Alvaro Soto de Viana (Spain), Lennart Ackzell (Sweden), Jonas Bergquist (Sweden), Sanna Black-Samuelsson (Sweden), Jonas Cedergren (Sweden), Gösta Eriksson (Sweden), Markus Bolliger (Switzerland), Felix Gugerli (Switzerland), Rolf Holderegger (Switzerland), Peter Rotach (Switzerland), Marcus Ulber (Switzerland), Sven M.G. de Vries (The Netherlands), Khouja Mohamed Larbi (Tunisia), Murat Alan (Turkey), Gaye Kandemir (Turkey), Gursel Karagöz (Turkey), Zeki Kaya (Turkey), Hasan Özer (Turkey), Hacer Semerci (Turkey), Ferit Toplu (Turkey), Mykola M. Vedmid (Ukraine), Roman T. Volosyanchuk (Ukraine), Stuart A'Hara (United Kingdom), Joan Cottrell (United Kingdom), Colin Edwards (United Kingdom), Michael Frankis (United Kingdom), Jason Hubert (United Kingdom), Karen Russell (United Kingdom), C.J.A. Samuel (United Kingdom).
Status of Castanea sativa conservation in Europe
Sweet chestnut has high genetic diversity across Europe with greater diversity within populations than between them, as demonstrated in Iran where 84% of genetic variation is within populations (Janfaza et al., 2017). Iranian populations also showed high genetic differentiation between populations that were geographically close (Janfaza et al., 2017).
The species likely colonized Europe from refugia in Türkiye. As a result, the westward flow of genetic material shows greater genetic diversity in eastern populations than southern ones (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). Populations in southern Europe also show greater genetic diversity than northern populations, but there are significant differences among populations because of local adaptations (Martin et al., 2012). Spanish populations showed high genetic diversity but no significant correlation between genetic differentiation and geographic distance (Martin et al., 2012). However, Spanish populations showed a geographic pattern, with different groups of populations in the north-west, north-east and south-east (Martin et al., 2012). This may be evidence of multiple refugia in Spain creating these clusters, or it could be the result of human-driven domestication (Martin et al., 2012).
Across Europe, five distinct gene pools have been found, with three in Greece, possibly because Greece had multiple refugia (Mattioni et al., 2008). One cluster in Europe includes northern and north-western Spanish populations and the other includes most of continental Europe, such as central and southern Spanish, Italian and Greek populations (Fernández-Cruz and Fernández-López, 2016). This indicates either that colonization occurred from a few glacial refugia or that human-mediated spread came from one source population and/or has led to homogenization of sweet chestnut genetic diversity (Mattioni et al., 2008).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Cultivation and human intervention
Sweet chestnut has been present in Europe for an estimated 9,000 years and may not have colonized western Mediterranean regions naturally but as the result of human introduction (Mattioni et al., 2008). There are many old cultivars of sweet chestnut across France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Türkiye, and the United Kingdom, with a lot of breeding in Europe focused on selecting grafted varieties and adding resistance to major fungal diseases (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). This can be achieved by hybridizing with more resistant species, such as Japanese chestnut (Castanea crenata) and Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima) (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003).
The genetic diversity of domesticated varieties can also be influenced by the type of management the species has experienced (Mattioni et al., 2008). The lengthy domestication, management, and breeding of chestnut, mainly for nut production, has created genetic differentiation between cultivated and wild populations (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). Domestic varieties have mixed and hybridized with wild populations, such as in Spain through the introgression of local and grafted varieties, and selective pressure for varieties resistant to local diseases (Fernández-Cruz and Fernández-López, 2016).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Sweet chestnut is threatened by land-use and climate changes fragmenting habitats and reducing population sizes; it is also vulnerable to fungus and diseases such as chestnut blight and ink disease (Martin et al., 2012).
Many chestnut orchards in the Mediterranean are being abandoned due to socioeconomic developments and are returning to wild states (Mattioni et al., 2008). This leads to a loss of cultivated varieties, which are an important genetic resource as local varieties may contain important genetic variations and adaptations of interest to breeders (Mattioni et al., 2008). Domestic varieties naturalizing with wild populations also leads to introgression between them (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). Male trees in many domestic varieties of sweet chestnut are sterile to some degree, therefore mixing between wild and cultivated varieties could also make wild populations sterile (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). Mixing and hybridization of wild and domestic sweet chestnut or use of only a few genotypes in silvicultural practices also reduces genetic diversity of populations, thus reducing the species’ adaptability (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). This is made worse by management practices such as coppicing that reduce natural regeneration and selection.
Research into the genetic diversity of wild populations is limited. Inventories should be made to understand the full distribution and genetic variety of the species and to distinguish between the species’ natural range and the range of naturalized domestic populations (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003). To conserve the genetic diversity of the species, establishment of a Multiple Population Breeding System is recommended (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003) and cultivated varieties should be conserved in clonal archives (Fernández-López and Alía, 2003).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Genetic Characterisation of Castanea sativa and its GCUs
Availability of FRM
FOREMATIS
Castanea sativa - Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use for chestnut
Publication Year: 2003The first step to ensure the conservation and sustainable use of chestnut genetic resources in Europe is to assess, for each country, the present and past geographical distribution of the species, the conservation status, to identify threats and the prevailing or potential uses. Inventories should be undertaken in countries where the distribution of the species in the wild is unknown. Historical data may be required to distinguish the natural distribution range from the naturalized populations. Ecological gradients could be used to define ecogeographic zones or regions of provenance where the species is seed propagated.
For in situ conservation of populations, several managed stands should be designated from those selected for seed production (seed stands), with at least 100 trees that fruit regularly in each. These populations should then be sampled for provenance testing. If the populations are small (less than 20 trees), then seeds from several different populations within an ecogeographic zone should be collected and mixed, and the seedlings produced should be planted in the in situ gene conservation population to enhance their genetic diversity. If this is not possible, the number of trees in the population should be increased by planting material according to data from provenance trials where available, or by introducing individuals from similar ecological conditions. Different conservation populations should be established for nut and wood production.
A Multiple Population Breeding System (MPBS) is recommended to conserve the genetic diversity in wild populations (Ideally in MPBS, a breeding population is subdivided into subpopulations which are then grown over a wide range of site conditions. Each subpopulation may have the same or different breeding goal. In less intensive version of MPBS, subpopulations are selected from existing forests instead of establishing ex situ stands of the subpopulations). To create a European network of gene conservation stands, at least 30 (‘undomesticated’) stands should be selected throughout the distribution area, with greater numbers representing Castanea sativa. Guidelines for genetic conservation and use marginal populations. Sub-populations should be managed to promote nut production in trees with desirable phenotypes.
Cultivated varieties should be conserved in clonal archives. Clonal archives of plus trees and local fruit varieties can be considered as sub-populations within a Multiple Population Breeding System, with the main objectives of breeding and preserving the present composition of the chestnut forest stands and orchards. The aim is to prevent disappearance due to disease or dysgenic selection. Since two hybridizing species confer disease tolerance to C. sativa, it is recommended to include material from plus trees of C. crenata and C. molissima in clonal archives, located in areas without pronounced drought.
For ex situ conservation, provenance tests should be established in contrasting, disease free environments. Aiming firstly at studying the variability of the adaptive traits and then to conserve the material, progeny tests of selected plus trees from several populations should be set up on sites where a breeding programme will be implemented. One of the populations will serve as a control, to be tested in different environments, and the others will be included depending on the needs and priorities of every country.
Noble Hardwoods Network: Report of the sixth and seventh meeting
Noble Hardwoods Network: Report of the third meeting
Noble Hardwood Network: Report on the fourth and fifth meeting
Noble Hardwoods Network: Report of the first meeting
Contacts of experts
NA
Further reading
Ramos-Cabrer, A.M. and Pereira-Lorenzo, S. 2005. Genetic relationship between Castanea sativa Mill. trees from north-western to south Spain based on morphological traits and isoenzymes. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution, 52: 879-890.
Quintana, J., Contreras, A., Merino, I., Vinuesa, A., Orozco, G., Ovalle, F., and Gomez, L. 2015. Genetic characterization of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) orchards and traditional nut varieties in El Bierzo, a glacial refuge and major cultivation site in northwestern Spain. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 11: 0. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-014-0826-x
References
Fernández-López, J. and Alía, R. 2003. EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use for chestnut (Castanea sativa). Rome, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. 6 pages.
Fernández-Cruz, J. and Fernández-López, J. 2016. Genetic structure of wild sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) populations in northwest of Spain and their differences with other European stands. Conservation Genetics, 17(4): 949-967.
Janfaza, S., Yousefzadeh, H., Hosseini Nasr, S.M., Botta, R., Asadi Abkenar, A., and Torello Marinoni, D. 2017. Genetic diversity of Castanea sativa an endangered species in the Hyrcanian forest. Silva Fennica, 51(1): 1705. https://dx.doi.org/10.14214/sf.1705
Martín, M.A., Mattioni, C., Molina, J.R., Alvarez, J.B., Cherubini, M., Herrera, M.A., Villani, F., and Martín, L.M. 2012. Landscape genetic structure of chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in Spain. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 8: 127-136.
Mattioni, C., Cherubini, M., Micheli, E., Villani, F., and Bucci, G., 2008. Role of domestication in shaping Castanea sativa genetic variation in Europe. Tree Genetics & Genomes, 4: 563-574.
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