The maternal environment of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) affects intrapopulation variability in seed traits and germination

doi:10.3832/ifor4806-018

The maternal environment of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) affects intrapopulation variability in seed traits and germination

Vladan Popović⁽¹⁾ , Aleksandar Lučić⁽¹⁾, Mladen Ivanković⁽²⁾, Branislav Cvjetković⁽³⁾, Gregor Božič⁽⁴⁾, Vlatko Andonovski⁽⁵⁾, Danijela Miljković⁽⁶⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 19, Issue 2, Pages 114-121 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4806-018
Published: Apr 10, 2026 - Copyright © 2026 SISEF

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Interpopulation variation was investigated using seed samples originating from twenty-six European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) populations across the Balkan Peninsula, a part of the species’ distribution range characterized by high ecological heterogeneity in key climatic factors, such as temperature (5.8-10.6 °C), precipitation (648-1632 mm), and elevation (185-1410 m a.s.l.). The statistical significance of intrapopulation differences was confirmed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) for all seed traits analyzed: seed weight (g), length (mm), width (mm), thickness (mm), eccentricity and flatness indices, and germination capacity (%). Multivariate principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to examine seed traits in relation to environmental variables of the maternal site, such as mean temperature and precipitation in September and October (the seed maturation period), revealing distinct patterns of relationships among the variables studied. Seed traits were significantly positively correlated with mean temperatures of the maternal site in September and October, indicating that temperature during the seed-filling period affects seed mass. Germination capacity was associated with precipitation during the same period, though the correlation coefficient was not statistically significant; a shorter vector length in the PC biplot suggests a weaker contribution to population separation. Elevation of the site of origin showed a significant negative correlation with temperature, precipitation, and seed traits. Agglomerative hierarchical clustering analysis identified three distinct population clusters. Higher temperature and precipitation values did not necessarily result in higher seed trait values or higher germination percentages. The population with the highest seed mass exhibited the lowest germination capacity (32%) during seed maturation under the lowest precipitation. Conversely, the population characterized by the lowest seed mass showed a higher germination rate of 68% in environments with high precipitation. These results provide valuable insights into the reproductive ecology of European beech, suggesting that other factors beyond those analyzed here may have a more substantial influence on seed germination. The variation in seed traits across habitats that are either drier and hotter or colder and wetter, along the elevation gradient of the studied populations, paves the way for future research and breeding efforts to enhance the species’ survival and reproductive success amid anticipated climate change scenarios.

Keywords

Seed Traits, Seed Germination, European Beech, Fagus sylvatica L., Environmental and Genetic Variation, Southeast Europe

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0003-4326-3364
0000-0002-4473-1791
Department of Genetics, Plant Breeding, Seed and Nursery Production; Institute of Forestry, Kneza Višeslava 3, 11030 Belgrade (Serbia)

(2)

0000-0003-1198-9902
Department for Genetics, Forest Tree Breeding and Seed Science, Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko (Croatia)

(3)

0000-0002-3589-5516
Faculty of Forestry, University of Banja Luka, Bulevar vojvode Petra Bojovića 1A, 78000 Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

(4)

0000-0002-5595-2979
Department of Forest Physiology and Genetics, Slovenian Forestry Institute, Večna pot 2, 1000 Ljubljana (Slovenia)

(5)

0000-0001-9697-5854
University Ss. Cyril and Methodius, Hans Em Faculty of Forest Sciences, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering, 16 Makedonska brigada 1, 1000 Skopje (North Macedonia)

(6)

0000-0003-1781-6658
Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković”, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, 11060 Belgrade (Serbia)

Corresponding author

Vladan Popović
vladanpop79@gmail.com

Citation

Popović V, Lučić A, Ivanković M, Cvjetković B, Božič G, Andonovski V, Miljković D (2026). The maternal environment of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) affects intrapopulation variability in seed traits and germination. iForest 19: 114-121. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4806-018

Academic Editor

Rafael Da Silveira Bueno

Paper history

Received: Jan 26, 2025
Accepted: Apr 09, 2026

First online: Apr 10, 2026
Publication Date: Apr 30, 2026
Publication Time: 0.03 months

Open Access

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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