Genetic Diversity and Structure in Teak (Tectona grandis) Populations
Summary
Teak (Tectona grandis) is one of the world’s most valuable tropical timbers, widely cultivated beyond its native range in South and Southeast Asia. Genetic diversity underpins the species’ adaptability, resilience to pests and diseases, and long-term productivity in plantations. Natural populations exhibit a clear centre of origin in India, with diversity gradually declining eastwards into Myanmar, Thailand and Laos. Historical translocations have introduced founder effects and bottlenecks, yet many landraces retain variation that reflects their geographic source rather than severe genetic loss. Contemporary studies combine molecular markers and statistical methods to unravel population structure, identify distinct genetic clusters and inform seed transfer guidelines. Despite a generally narrow base compared to other tropical trees, teak retains sufficient intra- and inter-population variability to support breeding, conservation and restoration. Understanding the spatial distribution of genetic variation is essential for maintaining adaptive potential under changing climates, for selecting superior genotypes in breeding programmes and for establishing seed zones that safeguard local diversity while optimising plantation performance.
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Genetic Diversity and Structure in Teak (Tectona grandis) Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in genetic diversity and structure in teak (tectona grandis) populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP): A variation at a single base position in the genome, used as a marker of genetic diversity.
Microsatellite marker (SSR): A short, tandemly repeated DNA sequence whose length varies among individuals, employed to assess genetic structure.
FST: A statistic measuring genetic differentiation among populations; values near zero indicate low differentiation, values toward one indicate high differentiation.
Heterozygosity: The proportion of individuals in a population carrying two different alleles at a locus, reflecting genetic variability.
Bayesian clustering: A probabilistic method to assign individuals to genetic clusters based on multilocus genotypes, revealing population structure.
References
- Characterizing the Morphological Descriptors of Thirty Seed Sources of Teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) Concerning Sustainable Forestry. Sustainability (2022).
- Reassessing the genetic variability of Tectona grandis through high-throughput genotyping: Insights on its narrow genetic base. PLOS ONE (2023).
- Worldwide translocation of teak—origin of landraces and present genetic base. Tree Genetics & Genomes (2017).
- Assessing the genetic structure of teak from Southeast Sulawesi and its implication for genetic conservation and utilization in Indonesia. Forest Science and Technology (2023).
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