article id 63,
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                        Research article
                    
        
                                    
                                    
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                            Hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L.   Populus tremuloides Michx.)  plantations are expanding in Fennoscandia and the Baltic countries;  however, the possible effects of plantations on the native European  aspen (P. tremula) and the level of gene flow between European and  hybrid aspen have not been investigated. We studied seed quantity and  quality in intraspecific and interspecific crosses of the European and  hybrid aspens over a two year period. In order to study whether elevated  temperatures due to climate change would benefit the species  differently, we performed the crosses in different temperatures. In both  years, interspecific crosses produced more seeds with higher quality  than intraspecific crosses. This result was most distinct in crosses  between female hybrid aspen and male European aspen. In higher  temperatures, relative germination difference between hybrid aspen seeds  and seeds from P. tremula   P. tremula crosses seems to increase. These  results suggest that hybrid aspen may have a significant genetic impact  on the European aspen, and this effect may be strengthened by climate  warming.
                        
                
                                            - 
                            Koivuranta,
                            Finnish Forest Research Institute, Haapastensyrjä, Finland
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            lk@nn.fi
                                                                                
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                            Latva-Karjanmaa,
                            Finnish Forest Research Institute, Haapastensyrjä, Finland
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            tlk@nn.fi
                                                                                
- 
                            Pulkkinen,
                            Finnish Forest Research Institute, Haapastensyrjä, Finland
                                                        E-mail:
                                                            pertti.pulkkinen@metla.fi
                                                                                        