Résumé
Abies cilicica (Antoine & Kotschy) Carrière is a conifer species belonging to the high mountain ecosystems of Southern Turkey, Northwestern Syria and Northern Lebanon. In Lebanon, the Cilician fir forests reach their southernmost distribution and are being degraded by a variety of threats from grazing to intensive logging. The aim of this study is to highlight the genetic diversity status of these forests for future conservation strategies. Hence, we have extensively sampled 15 populations and performed genetic analyses using 10 nuclear microsatellite markers. Concomitantly, we are currently analyzing the pollen content of two new fossil records collected in the vicinity of fir populations. The founder effect that promoted the existence of these forests partly dictated the genetic diversity of their populations. A low level of genetic differentiation and no isolation by distance were found between populations suggesting the existence of a significant historical gene flow between populations, therefore, a rather recent fragmentation of these populations is mostly probable. A pollen record spanning the last 30 kyr BP is under study. This will allow us to confirm whether or not Abies cilicica was continuously present in the area.