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 Sorbus domestica conservation in Europe
The population genetic structure and genetic diversity of service tree in central Europe is the result of geographic isolation, differing ecological niches, potential hybridization with related Sorbus species, and long-distance dispersion by humans. Service tree has high genetic diversity within populations in Europe, with neighbouring populations transitioning into each other (Špíšek, Otto, and Vašut, 2021). Swiss populations showed high levels of within-population genetic diversity, meaning these populations could be a potential seed reservoir (Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). Regions in Italy, southern France, Bulgaria, and Serbia have been shown to have comparatively high levels of genetic diversity, as these areas contain glacial refugia (George et al., 2015). Austrian populations have also been shown to be a distinct population, with some isolation resulting less gene flow (George et al., 2015).
There is little evidence for a reduction in genetic diversity in northern populations compared with southern populations which is expected in species which have colonised northern habitats from southern refugia after the last glacial maximum (Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). Allelic richness does generally decrease from south to north, although within France and Italy northern populations had a higher allelic richness than southern populations (George et al., 2015; Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). High levels of genetic diversity and low differentiation despite the species’ scattered and fragmented nature are the result of human influence on the tree’s current distribution and the anthropogenic origin of the species in many parts of Europe (Rotach, 2003; George et al., 2015).
Five haplotypes and three genetic clusters have been identified for service tree across Europe. The clusters comprise a Mediterranean/Balkan cluster, a cluster in France, and a cluster found mostly in Austria, with detectable transitions between clusters (George et al., 2015; Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). Within Europe two clusters if service tree may exist, one eastern cluster and one western cluster both with high genetic differentiation and different origins from southern glacial refugia, with hybridization and mixing occurring between these two clusters (Špíšek, Otto, and Vašut, 2021; Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). Long-distance gene flow and active human intervention in seed dispersal over a long period has reduced population structure (Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022).
Service tree has long-distance pollen dispersion by insects and wind, and seed dispersion by animals and water with even isolated trees receiving pollen from other distant trees but most gene flow occurs over short distances (Kamm, 2008). Isolated Swiss populations showed signs of gene flow to populations outside of Switzerland, however levels of inbreeding were high (Armbruster, Lucek, and Willi, 2022). Research is Switzerland found the around 10% of pollen donors come from over 2 km away (Kamm, 2008).
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.
Service tree has experienced declines in gene flow and increased inbreeding. Habitat fragmentation over the last 200 years and land-use changes from agricultural and urban expansion have reduced the number of mature trees and interfered with the movement range of pollinators and seed dispersers (George et al., 2015). This has resulted in a loss of genetic diversity and increased differentiation among isolated populations (Rotach, 2003).
Conservation efforts should begin with inventories assessing population sizes, structure, and threats (Rotach, 2003). Conservation efforts would also benefit from taking samples in the Carpathians, Iberian Peninsula, south-eastern Europe and from further north to provide a definitive picture of diversity and postglacial colonization history of the service tree in Europe (George et al., 2015).
The bibliographic review was conducted by James Chaplin of the EUFORGEN Secretariat in August 2024.
Genetic Characterisation of Sorbus domestica and its GCUs
Availability of FRM
FOREMATIS
Sorbus domestica - Technical guidelines for genetic conservation and use for service tree
Publication Year: 2003Conservation priorities and measures depend on the current population size, population structure and existing or potential threats. Thus, in situ conservation efforts must begin with inventories, assessing population size and structure, core populations, fragmentation, threats and threatening processes, as well as conservation needs and priorities.
No rule can be given regarding the minimum number and size of populations to be conserved since it depends on the specific situation of the species(demography, threat, habitat availability etc) and the available financial means. At the very least, the most viable core population should be designated as a conservation unit in which S. domestica is favoured above all other species in regeneration and tending operations. Focusing efforts on these core populations, which are the largest and most viable, should ensure maximum success with minimum costs. As a rule of thumb, at least 50 interbreeding individuals should be selected for such a conservation unit. Management should guarantee individual survival, favour vitality and fertility, and attempt to create a sustainable age structure for the future. All objectives and necessary measures need to be clearly defined, documented and integrated into local management plans.
Where additional measures are feasible, other core populations should be added to create a network of conservation units. If possible, core populations should be linked with neighbouring cores or should be enlarged in order to guarantee their long term survival. In addition, smaller demes and even single trees,which serve as stepping stones for gene exchange, should be integrated into the network. Until further information on gene flow is available, demes and individuals may be considered linked if they are closer than 3 km. In most cases, conservation and promotion of S. domestica requires plantations, since natural regeneration is sparse or inexistent. These should be restricted to favourable sites where the service tree is able to withstand natural competition with little intervention.
It is highly recommended that in situ conservation measures are accompanied by ex situ collections even if sufficiently large core populations still exist. Seed orchards can produce genetically diverse planting material which is difficult or impossible to collect from wild populations. In addition, ex situ collections may serve as genebanks or for breeding activities. High quality planting material is important since regeneration is usually achieved artificially.
Conservation efforts are most successful if they are integrated into common forestry practice. Information, training, and the perception of the species in the forest service are thus decisive for successful conservation and it is hoped that these guidelines serve as a starting point for this purpose.
Noble Hardwood Network: Report on the fourth and fifth meeting
Noble Hardwoods Network: Report of the second meeting
Noble Hardwoods Network: Report of the first meeting
Contacts of experts
NA
Further reading
George, J.-P., Woodman, J., Mark Andrew Hampton, Konrad, H., and Geburek, T. 2016. True Service-tree (Sorbus domestica, Rosaceae) in the British Isles: Rare but diverse. New Journal of Botany, 6: 21–30.
Nyári, L. 2010. Genetic variability of service tree (Sorbus domestica L.) in the Hungarian Middle Mountains – based on cpDNA analysis in two regions. Acta Silvatica & Lignaria Hungarica, 6: 17–32.
References
Armbruster, G.F.J., Lucek, K., and Willi Y. 2011. Cryptic population structure at the northern range margin of the service tree Sorbus domestica. PeerJ, 10: e14397. doi: 10.7717/peerj.14397.
George, J.-P., Konrad, H., Collin, É., Thévenet, J., Ballian, D., Idžojtić, M., Kamm, U., Zhelev, P., and Geburek, T. 2015. High molecular diversity in the true service tree (Sorbus domestica) despite rareness: data from Europe with special reference to the Austrian occurrence. Annals of Botany, 115: 1105–1115.
Kamm, U.W. 2008. Landscape genetics of a rare, naturally scattered, temperate forest tree (Sorbus domestica). PhD dissertation, ETH Zurich.
Rotach, P. 2003. EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use for service tree (Sorbus domestica). Rome, International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. 6 pages.
Špíšek, Z., Otto, L.-G., and Vašut, R.J., 2021. Genotypic variability of Sorbus domestica in Central Europe revealed by the SSR markers. Plant Biosystems, 156: 938–946.
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