n-Alkanes variability in natural populations of Picea omorika (Pančić) Purk. From Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Population variability of n-alkanes in the cuticular waxes of Serbian spruce needles from Bosnia and Herzegovina was investigated for the first time. n-Alkanes exhibited composition variability ranging from C18 to C35. The divergence of populations from Bosnia and Herzegovina and previously investigated Serbian populations was statistically confirmed by PCA, DA, and CA (Cluster analysis), which could support the fact that there are two possible spruce chemotypes: one relating to the Bosnian-Herzegovinian and the other to the Serbian populations. Climate parameters (precipitation, temperature, wind, and solar radiation) approved this conclusion.