Adaptational characteristics of autochthonous populations—consequences for provenance delineation

The autochthony of source populations is a major concern in provenance research and regulations. The concept of autochthony, in turn, is closely associated with the adaptedness of populations. Problems of provenance delineation are therefore closely associated with problems of delineating the spatial expanse of adapted populations. Based on operational formulations of the concepts of autochthony and adaptation, an approach to population delineation is developed. The approach considers jointly the basic requirements of reproductive coherence and adaptational interrelationships among the members of a population. It does this by applying cluster analysis for the identification of groups of individuals which distinctly differ both spatially and genetically (spatiogenetically) from other groups. If a thus delineated population shows spatiogenetically distinguished subpopulation structure, reciprocal translocation tests (in the form of provenance trials) are recommended in order to qualify the area of the populationʹs range to be declared a provenance region and to define the region of potential transfer for these provenances. The tests include analyses of adaptation based on genetic markers. The population-based approach is contrasted with common practices of provenance delineation. Occasionally expressed doubts on the practical significance of autochthony are discussed.