A large scale survey of Populus nigra presence and genetic introgression from non-native poplars in Switzerland based on molecular identification

SummaryPopulus nigra is considered a rare and threatened tree species in Switzerland because of dramatic habitat loss owing to river regulations during the last two centuries and because of potential gene introgression from non-indigenous P. deltoides through planted P. x canadensis hybrids. The significance of introgression as an endangerment to P. nigra, however, is controversial. The aims of the present study were (1) to assess how abundant P. nigra trees are in Switzerland and (2) to assess potential gene introgression. We present data from a molecular survey of 1372 putative P. nigra trees from Switzerland, using both chloroplast DNA and nuclear DNA markers. The results show that P. nigra is more abundant in Switzerland than hitherto thought. Furthermore, we detected a low frequency of gene introgression.