The n-alkane composition in the leaf cuticular waxes of natural populations of Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii), Austrian pine (P. nigra), and Macedonian pine (P. peuce) was compared for the first time. The range of n-alkanes was wider in P. nigra (C16 - C33 ) than in P. heldreichii and P. peuce (C18 - C33 ). Species also diverged in abundance and range of dominant n-alkanes (P. heldreichii: C23 , C27 , and C25 ; P. nigra: C25 , C27 , C29 , and C23 ; P. peuce: C29 , C25 , C27 , and C23 ). Multivariate statistical analyses (PCA, DA, and CA) generally pointed out separation of populations of P. nigra from populations of P. heldreichii and P. peuce (which were, to a greater or lesser extent, separated too). However, position of these species on the basis of n-alkane composition was in accordance neither with infrageneric classification nor with recent molecular and terpene investigations.
Keywords: Pinus heldreichii; Pinus nigra; Pinus peuce; alkanes; molecular diversity.
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