Variability of the populations of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) in the northwestern part of Mala Kapela according to the morphological characteristics of the needles and cones

U radu je istražena morfološka varijabilnost populacija običnoga bora na području sjeverozapadnoga dijela Male Kapele. Raznolikost i strukturiranost populacija utvrđena je na osnovi deset mjerenih morfoloških značajki iglica i češera, pri čemu su korištene deskriptivne i multivarijatne statističke metode. Provedenim istraživanjem utvrđena je niska varijabilnost morfoloških značajki, a razlike između stabala unutar populacija, kao i između populacija, potvrđene su za većinu istraživanih svojstava. Unutarpopulacijska varijabilnost bila je veća nego međupopulacijska, osim za značajke širina iglice, dužina češera i širina štitića. Istraživanjem je potvrđen i trend variranja populacija po ekološkom principu, kao i specifičan gradijent, odnosno promjena u morfološkoj varijabilnosti s obzirom na promjenu nadmorske visine. Populacije s nižih nadmorskih visina imale su manje češere u odnosu na populacije s viših nadmorskih visina. Osim toga, pionirski karakter običnoga bora u kojega ponekad vrlo mali broj jedinki sudjeluje u osnivanju novih populacija, rezultirao je malom varijabilnošću populacija te njihovom velikom diferencijacijom na tako malom području.The paper explores the morphological variability of the Scots pine populations in the northwestern part of Mala Kapela. The diversity and structure of the populations were established based on the ten measured morphological characteristics of the needles and cones, using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods. The conducted research established low variability of the morphological characteristics, and the differences between the trees both within and between populations were confirmed for the majority of the studied characteristics. Intrapopulation variability was greater than the interpopulation one, except for the characteristics of needle width, cone length and apophysis width. The research has also confirmed a population variation trend following the ecological principle, as well as a specific gradient, i.e. change in morphological variability related to the change in altitude. Populations from lower altitudes had smaller cones as compared to the populations from higher altitudes. In addition, the pioneering nature of the Scots pine, in which sometimes a very small number of specimens participates in the establishment of new populations, has resulted in low variability of populations and their great differentiation in such a small area