Establishment of native woodlands is currently one of the most favoured options for enhancing ‘biodiversity’ in upland areas of Scotland (Scottish Biodiversity Forum 2004).  The two most important factors inhibiting the natural expansion of native woodlands and their colonisation by the typical associated species and assemblages are: the fragmented nature of existing woodlands and the co-occurrence of large herbivores. 

Figure: One of the Scots Pine populations used as a collection site

In collaboration with the Macaulay Institute and the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, we are investigating the combined impacts of herbivory and spatial fragmentation of the dominant and associated species of the ecosystem, as the important determinants of genetic diversity. To quantify the genetic variation among populations of native Scots pines along a climatic gradient across Scotland we are using both neutral genetic markers (SSRs) and novel markers associated with the timing of key events such as bud burst and flowering (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms – SNPs).