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 Quercus suber conservation in Europe
Cork oak is highly variable in its adaptation, morphology, and phenology and has high genetic diversity (Gil and Varela, 2008). The species has large genetic variation within populations and small differences between them, with substantial differentiation in traits such as growth and mortality (Eriksson et al., 2017). Populations in southern and central Spain have been shown to have especially high genetic diversity, likely because Spain contained glacial refugia for the species (Sousa et al., 2022). However, marginal areas show genetic differentiation, meaning they have unique genetic traits (Gil and Varela, 2008). Despite widespread and prolonged cultivation, it does not appear that the original genetic structure of cork oak has been significantly altered by human activity (Gil and Varela, 2008).
Some research groups cork oak into three genetic lineages or clusters and identifies five haplotypes with clear geographic structuring and even demonstrates evidence of introgression with holly oak (Quercus ilex L.) (Sousa et al., 2022; Silva et al., 2023). Two haplotypes are found in Italy, a third in Provence, Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria, and Tunisia, a fourth in Portugal, western Spain, south-western France, and northern Morocco, and the fifth in the rest of Spain, the Balearic Islands, and eastern Morocco. (Silva et al., 2023). Geographic structuring of genetic variation in cork oak is likely the result of genetic drift and isolation from glacial events in the Oligocene and Miocene followed by expansion (Silva et al., 2023). However, differences between cork-oak lineages could also be the result of differing environmental conditions across its distribution, as the species may have already been genetically differentiated along a longitudinal gradient before recolonization, and it is likely that adaptation to different environments has occurred, leading to differentiation among adaptive traits (Eriksson et al., 2017; Sousa et al., 2022). High gene flow in cork oak has reduced genetic differentiation between populations, making cork oak weakly genetically structured despite division of lineages (Sousa et al., 2022).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
No available information.
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Cork oak is not under threat at the species level if it has economic value (Gil and Varela, 2008). Marginal populations in small and scattered stands or restricted habitats, however, could be at risk if their effective population size becomes too small (Gil and Varela, 2008; Eriksson et al., 2017). This is especially so as natural regeneration is limited because cork oak rarely produces large amounts of seed (Gil and Varela, 2008). Low natural regeneration and overgrazing in agropastoral systems are among the main threats to cork oak, but pests and other biotic factors also contribute to the species’ decline (Silva et al., 2023). Cork oak distribution is primarily limited by low temperatures, but long droughts may be driving the species decline in its current range (Eriksson et al., 2017; Sousa et al., 2022).
Natural regeneration should be promoted, which may require protecting seeds and seedlings from grazing and browsing animals though use of fencing (Gil and Varela, 2008; Eriksson et al., 2017). However, using active measures to facilitate natural regeneration does not mean traditional agroforestry management such as grazing should be excluded (Eriksson et al., 2017). In situ populations used for genetic conservation should represent the ecological range of the tree and include its total existing genetic and adaptive variation. This would require several populations within each country across multiple climate zones (Eriksson et al., 2017).
Artificial regeneration to regenerate larger populations or to establish new ones is necessary due to low seed production. Seeds should be collected from local populations or populations growing under similar conditions but should not be collected in years of low seed production (Gil and Varela, 2008).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Genetic Characterisation of Quercus suber and its GCUs
Availability of FRM
FOREMATIS
Quercus suber - Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use for cork oak
Publication Year: 2008Genetic resources of cork oak should be conserved in several in situ populations representing the ecogeographic range of the tree. Each population should consist of at least 250 trees to ensure at least 50 reproductive trees.
The seed used to artificially regenerate large populations or to establish new ones should be collected from local populations or populations growing under similar edaphoclimatic conditions. However, seeds should not be collected for this purpose in years of low seed production.
In small and marginal populations, conservation activities should aim to promote regeneration to increase the population size. Where seed set is good, the main approach may be to protect the seed and seedlings from grazing and browsing animals. However, if the seed set is low, as a result of too few reproductive trees for example, seeds should be collected and seedlings raised in nurseries before being planted out in the location from which the seed was obtained.
Genetic conservation and management of Quercus suber
Quercus suber Network: Report of the first and second meeting
Quercus suber Network: Report of the third and fourth meetings
Mediterranean Oaks Network: Report of the second meeting
Mediterranean Oaks Network: Report of the first meeting
Social Broadleaves Network: Report of the fifth meeting (Temperate Oaks and Beech network)
Social Broadleaves Network: Report of the third meeting
Social Broadleaves Network: Report of the second meeting
Social Broadleaves Network: Report of the first meeting
Contacts of experts
NA
Further reading
Burgarella, C., Lorenzo, Z., Jabbour-Zahab, R., Lumaret, R., Guichoux, E., Petit, R.J., Soto, A., and Gil, L. 2009. Detection of hybrids in nature: application to oaks (Quercus suber and Q. ilex). Heredity, 102(5): 442–452.
Soto, A., Lorenzo, Z., and Gil, L. 2007. Differences in fine-scale genetic structure and dispersal in Quercus ilex L. and Q. suber L.: consequences for regeneration of Mediterranean open woods. Heredity, 99(6): 601–607.
References
Eriksson, G., Varela, M.C., Lumaret, R., and Gil, L. 2017. Genetic conservation and management of Quercus suber. Technical Bulletin. Rome, European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN), Bioversity International.
Gil, L., and Varela. M.C. 2008. EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use for cork oak (Quercus suber). Rome, European Forest Genetic Resources Programme (EUFORGEN), Bioversity International. 6 pages.
Silva, J., Araújo, S.D.S., Sales, H., Pontes, R., and Nunes, J. 2023. Quercus suber L. genetic resources: Variability and strategies for its conservation. Forests, 14(9): 1925. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091925
Sousa, F., Costa, J., Ribeiro, C., Varandas, M., Pina-Martins, F., Simões, F., Matos, J., Glushkova, M., Miguel, C., Veloso, M.M., and Oliveira, M. 2022. Population structure in Quercus suber L. revealed by nuclear microsatellite markers. PeerJ, 10: p.e13565. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13565
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