Population Genetic Diversity and Conservation in Forests
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Genetics and Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 31
Special Issue Editors
Interests: population genetics; forest tree conservation; genetic diversity; molecular markers; ecological processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: molecular markers; plant genetics; DNA sequence analysis; conservation genetics; molecular biology; genetics; molecular evolution
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Genetic diversity is crucial for tree species’ adaptation and survival in changing environmental conditions, and maintaining high levels of diversity enables species to evolve and adapt to challenges such as climate change, disease, and habitat fragmentation. This Special Issue summarizes research on in situ and ex situ conservation strategies, as well as modern scientific approaches, aimed at preserving genetic diversity in forests. In situ conservation involves protecting species in their natural habitats, while ex situ conservation preserves genetic material outside natural environments, ensuring long-term survival. Modern science offers powerful tools to study and conserve genetic diversity. Molecular markers like microsatellites (SSRs), single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), inter simple sequence repeats (ISSRs), and chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA markers work like genetic fingerprints, helping scientists find small differences in DNA that show how species have evolved, adapted, or been affected by humans. Geographic information systems (GISs) and remote sensing also assist in mapping forest changes and planning conservation strategies. As forests face growing threats, the need for genetic conservation has never been more urgent. The genetic heritage of our forests would be safeguarded for the present and future generations through careful management, scientific research, and community engagement. The necessity of genetic conservation has never been more pressing, as forests are confronted with an increasing number of hazards.
Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:
- The importance of genetic diversity in forests (adaptive potential, resilience, sustainability, and biodiversity support);
- Sources of genetic diversity (natural populations, gene flow, hybridization, human interventions);
- Conservation strategies (in situ conservation, ex situ conservation, seed banks, botanic gardens and protected arboreta, the conservation of genetic reserves, sustainable forest management, the long-term storage of genetic material (seed, pollen, DNA, tissue, etc.) from endemic and endangered species, marginal populations that need to be protected in terms of genetic diversity, qualified material in terms of breeding, appropriate forest cultivation in fire-sensitive areas, the maintenance of living collections, and cryopreservation and tissue culture);
- Molecular and genetic tools, molecular markers (SSRs, SNPs, genomic selection, and DNA barcoding landscape genetics).
Dr. Nevenka Ćelepirović
Dr. Aikaterini Dounavi
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- genetic diversity
- tree species adaptation
- molecular markers
- biodiversity
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