Within and among population genetic variation in Fagus grandifolia within Great Smoky Mountains National Park

In this study I use ISSR markers to assess levels of genetic variation within and among populations of Fagus grandifolia in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). I specifically test the following questions: 1) Do high elevation populations of F. grandifolia in GSMNP reproduce more frequently by root sprouting than by seed, resulting in fewer genets than ramets within a population? 2) Do low elevation populations of F. grandifolia in GSMNP reproduce more fi^equently by seed than by root sprouting, resulting in a relatively equal number of ramets and genets within a population? 3) Are high elevation populations of F. grandifolia in GSMNP genetically distinct from low elevation populations? and 4) Is an absence of beech scale (Cryptococcus fagisuga) infection on an individual tree in an otherwise infected stand correlated with genotype as a result of genetic resistance? The data collected in this research suggest that there is more genetic differentiation among high and low elevations than within high or low elevations sites, clonal reproduction is not limited to high elevation sites, and there is little evidence for genetic resistance in the trees sampled.