Abstract

Drought stress poses a significant threat to ecosystems, particularly affecting the subalpine ecosystem most severely. Korean fir (Abies koreana) is found in the subalpine region of Korea, including the summits of Mts. Halla, Jiri, Mudung, Kaji, and Deogyu. Although A. koreana is recognized as a species sensitive to drought stress by the Korean government, its response mechanisms are poorly understood. We previously conducted a comprehensive transcriptomic analysis of A. koreana under drought conditions. In our current study, we selected four genes exhibiting high expression, namely Akoreana1SL019192t0002, Akoreana1SL009606t0001, Akoreana1SL022564t0001, and Akoreana1SL003793t0001. Additionally, A. koreana samples from ten locations each in the ecologically stable (Nambyuk) and vulnerable (Youngsil) areas of Mt. Halla were analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to measure gene expression. All four genes showed higher expression levels in samples from the vulnerable area compared to those from the stable area. These findings suggest that these genes could serve as diagnostic markers to assess A. koreana’s vulnerability to drought stress in natural settings.