Article DNA Markers Reveal Genetic Associations among 11,000-Year-Old Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Found in the Baltic Sea with the Present-Day Gene Pools in Lithuania Darius Danuseviˇcius 1,* , Jurata Buchovska 2, Vladas Žulkus 3, Linas Daugnora 3 and Algirdas Girininkas 3 1 Faculty of Forest Science and Ecology, Agricultural Academy, Vytautas Magnus University, K. DonelaiˇcioStr. 58, LT-44248 Kaunas, Lithuania 2 Institute of Forestry, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry, Liepu˛Str. 1 Girionys, LT-53101 Kaunas, Lithuania;
[email protected] 3 Institute of Baltic Region History and Archaeology, Klaipeda˙ University, Herkaus Manto Str. 84, LT-92294 Klaipeda,˙ Lithuania;
[email protected] (V.Ž.);
[email protected] (L.D.);
[email protected] (A.G.) * Correspondence:
[email protected] Abstract: We aimed to extract DNA and amplify PCR fragments at the mitochondrial DNA Nad7.1 locus and 11 nuclear microsatellite loci in nine circa 11,000-year-old individuals of Scots pine found at the bottom of the Baltic sea and test the genetic associations with the present-day gene pool of Scots pine in Lithuania. We followed a strict anticontamination protocol in the lab and, simultaneously with the aDNA specimens, tested DNA-free controls. The DNA was extracted by an ATMAB protocol from the ancient wood specimens sampled underwater from Scots pine stumps located circa 20–30 m deep and circa 12 km ashore in western Lithuania. As the references, we used Citation: Danuseviˇcius,D.; 30 present-day Lithuanian populations of Scots pine with 25–50 individuals each. The aDNA Buchovska, J.; Žulkus, V.; Daugnora, yield was 11–41 ng/µL.