scholarly journals Morphological variability of leaves of Sorbus torminalis (L.) Crantz in Poland

2011 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leszek Bednorz

This paper presents the results of the study on morphological variability of leaves of a scattered tree species <em>Sorbus torminalis</em> (L.) Crantz) in Poland. The leaves from short- and long shoots were collected from 17 localities widespread within the range of the species in Poland. Leaves were measured according to 15 morphological traits. The biometric data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis in attempt to define variability between local populations. Most of the leaf traits are significantly correlated and are characterised by moderate level of variation. The average among population component of variation was 32.82% and 27.46% for leaves on short- and long shoots, respectively. The differences between sampled populations are significant, but only a weak geographical pattern of this differentiation was detected. Clinal type of variation was ascertained in two traits. Leaf traits which discriminate best the studied populations are also indicated. It was proved that leaves on short shoots differ markedly in shape and size from those of long shoots. Leaves on long shoots are steadier, but morphological trait values are less correlated. The study also confirmed the occurrence of individuals with leaves characteristic for <em>S. torminalis</em> var. perincisa Borbas et Feck and <em>S. torminalis</em> f. <em>mollis</em> Beck in a few Polish populations.

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 308-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdelali El Hamzaoui ◽  
Ahmed Oukabli ◽  
Mohiéddine Moumni

In this study, 15 morphological traits and 16 microsatellite markers were used to assess the morphological variability and structure of 68 (33 local and 35 foreign) almond accessions (Prunus dulcis(Mill.) D.A. Webb). Extensive phenotypic diversity was found among the accessions, and results indicated a high variation in leaf and fruit traits. Varieties were separated into two distinct groups with a similarity coefficient of 0.761. Morphological traits were categorized by principal component analysis into five components, which explained 86.5% of the total variation. Nut and kernel traits were dominant in the two first components, accounting for 49.4% of the variation. By contrast, leaf traits accounted for 18.4% of the variation in the third component. The results of molecular analysis (Bayesian clustering approach) did not correspond to morphological groupings, and the second approach was more discriminate. The combination of both approaches revealed the richness among the collected plant materials, which will be useful in breeding programmes of this species.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (9) ◽  
pp. 1904-1915 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. R. Remphrey ◽  
G. R. Powell

The upper 5 years of crown growth in samples of Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch (tamarack) saplings from natural populations in the Fredericton, N.B., area provided data to model architectural relationships describing patterns of (nonsylleptic) order 1 branching in relation to development of the main stem. The model was based on relationships between branch extension and height growth, and numbers and positions of order 1 branches. Elevation angles of shoots making up the branches, and conversion of order 1 long shoots to order 1 short shoots were also incorporated. Lengths of current shoots of major order 1 branches tended to decrease with increasing depth in the crown. Similar tendencies occurred among lengths of all current branch extensions within single height-growth increments, but the decreases in length became less regular with increasing age of branch. Because the relationships were complex, alternative approaches to modelling shoot lengths were adopted to enhance understanding of the patterns involved. Deterministic and stochastic elements were used in the overall model to account for significant proportions of morphological variability. Simulations based on the alternatives within the model were realistic in their interpretations of actual sapling crown architecture. Classification of L. laricina according to previously proposed architectural models that qualitatively describe general development was discussed.


Enfoque UTE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-70
Author(s):  
Ricardo Gonzalo Moreira Macías ◽  
Héctor Rodríguez ◽  
Eduardo Héctor-Ardisana ◽  
Carlos Feicán-Mejía ◽  
Saúl Anibal Mestanza Velasco ◽  
...  

Soursop (Annona muricata L.) germplasm, from the central region of the Ecuadorian littoral, has diverse phenotypic characteristics, which have been little studied. The main objective of this research was to characterize in situ the morphological variability of 60 accessions of soursop. The morphological traits were evaluated using 20 quantitative and 10 qualitative variables of the plant and the fruit. Multivariate statistical methods were used as principal components, hierarchical conglomerate aggregation, discriminant and correlation analysis (Pearson) were performed. Descriptive analysis such as central tendency and dispersion (coefficient of variation, range, mean and standard deviation) were determined for the quantitative data; while frequencies were calculated for qualitative data. In terms of morphological traits, 74 % of the total variability was explained by the fourth component. Three conglomerates of similarity were formed, in which the height, diameter of canopy and fruit number per tree, were the characters of greater contribution for its conformation.


Paleobiology ◽  
10.1666/12001 ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Meloro ◽  
Sarah Elton ◽  
Julien Louys ◽  
Laura C. Bishop ◽  
Peter Ditchfield

Mammalian carnivores are rarely incorporated in paleoenvironmental reconstructions, largely because of their rarity within the fossil record. However, multivariate statistical modeling can be successfully used to quantify specific anatomical features as environmental predictors. Here we explore morphological variability of the humerus in a closely related group of predators (Felidae) to investigate the relationship between morphometric descriptors and habitat categories. We analyze linear measurements of the humerus in three different morphometric combinations (log-transformed, size-free, and ratio), and explore four distinct ways of categorizing habitat adaptations. Open, Mixed, and Closed categories are defined according to criteria based on traditional descriptions of species, distributions, and biome occupancy. Extensive exploratory work is presented using linear discriminant analyses and several fossils are included to provide paleoecological reconstructions.We found no significant differences in the predictive power of distinct morphometric descriptors or habitat criteria, although sample splitting into small and large cat guilds greatly improves the stability of the models. Significant insights emerge for three long-canine cats:Smilodon populator,Paramachairodus orientalis, andDinofelissp. from Olduvai Gorge (East Africa).S. populatorandP. orientalisare both predicted to have been closed-habitat adapted taxa. The false “sabertooth”Dinofelissp. from Olduvai Gorge is predicted to be adapted to mixed habitat. The application of felid humerus ecomorphology to the carnivoran record of Olduvai Gorge shows that the older stratigraphic levels (Bed I, 1.99–1.79 Ma) included a broader range of environments than Beds II or V, where there is an abundance of cats adapted to open environments.


1967 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 1643-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Johanna Clausen ◽  
T. T. Kozlowski

Tamarack (Larix laricina (DuRoi) K. Koch) produces long shoots which bear two kinds of needles. Early needles are present in the bud and elongate rapidly after budbreak. Late needles, few of which are present in the bud, elongate later than early needles. Short shoots bear early needles only, and stem length seldom exceeds 1 mm. Seasonal changes in length and weight of needles and stems of both shoot types were measured. In long shoots, 75% of stem elongation, more than 70% of stem weight increment, and 65–70% of late needle elongation occurred after early needles were full-sized. Stem and late needle elongation ceased simultaneously, after which time needle weight decreased and stem weight increased. Early needles probably drew on food reserves while developing, and then themselves contributed to stem and late needle elongation. Final stem weight increase probably used photosynthate from both late and early needles of the current year.Shading of current and last year's needles showed that shoots in which photosynthesis was interrupted in this way produced shorter, lighter-weight stems than did control shoots.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 327-343
Author(s):  
Stjepan Kvesić ◽  
Mirzeta Memišević Hodžić ◽  
Matijaž Čater ◽  
Dalibor Ballian

Morphologic variability from 25 populations of Acer campestre L. in Bosnia and Herzegovina was analyzed. Morphometric structure of variability and between-population variability was performed based on 10 fruit-parameter characteristics and 19 leaf-parameter characteristics using multivariate statistical analysis. Results confirmed the separation of three submediterranean populations as a group in relation to other tested populations, from which the Banja Luka population is different. Measured leaf parameters were confirmed as a predominant carrier of the morphologic separation between populations. In other Acer species populations within A. monspessulanum and A. intermedium species are separated mainly by fruit and much less by leaf parameters. The southernmost submediterranean populations from Trebinje, Ljubu&scaron;ki, and Mostar regions have smaller leaf areas, which consequently places them within the same morphologic group; their variability is in tight connection with eco-geo-graphical factors, where the ecological distance is a much better predictor of morphological variability compared to geographical distance. The air temperature had the biggest influence on morphological variability regarding the highest in-between correlation. Achieved results may serve for the continuation of the research in other areas of Acer campestre to determine the interactive effect of ecological, geographical, climatic, and migrational factors on their morphologic population plasticity.


Parasitology ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. SOMMER

This study reports on morphological variability of Eimeria species, which may be given either by drawings or as quantitative data. The drawings may be used to facilitate identification by eye of ‘unknown’ Eimeria specimens, whereas quantitative data may serve as a reference set for identification by multivariate statistical techniques. The morphology of 810 Eimeria specimens was defined in binary (b/w) digital images by pixels of their oocyst outline. A Fourier transform of pixel positions yielded size and shape features. To classify coccidia, the quantitative data were employed in an agglomerative clustering by average linkage algorithm with equal weight assigned to size and shape. An inverse Fourier transform served to reconstruct oocyst outlines, i.e. outlines of average shape and size, from mean values of features in resulting clusters. Clusters were subsequently identified based on their average morphology by comparison with drawings of species in an earlier taxonomical work. Five hundred oocyst outlines were simulated for each cluster representing a species, and shape/size variability was presented in contour diagrams. Differences in species shapes, and correspondence in length and width, were seen after reconstruction by inverse Fourier transform and comparison with earlier studies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madalena Vaz Monteiro ◽  
Tijana Blanuša ◽  
Anne Verhoef ◽  
Paul Hadley ◽  
Ross W. F. Cameron

Urban greening solutions such as green roofs help improve residents’ thermal comfort and building insulation. However, not all plants provide the same level of cooling. This is partially due to differences in plant structure and function, including different mechanisms that plants employ to regulate leaf temperature. Ranking of multiple leaf and plant traits involved in the regulation of leaf temperature (and, consequently, plants’ cooling ‘service’) is not well understood. We, therefore, investigated the relative importance of water loss, leaf colour, thickness and extent of pubescence for the regulation of leaf temperature, in the context of species for semi-extensive green roofs. Leaf temperature was measured with an infrared imaging camera in a range of contrasting genotypes within three plant genera (Heuchera, Salvia and Sempervivum). In three glasshouse experiments (each evaluating three or four genotypes of each genus), we varied water availability to the plants and assessed how leaf temperature altered depending on water loss and specific leaf traits. Greatest reductions in leaf temperature were closely associated with higher water loss. Additionally, in non-succulents (Heuchera, Salvia), lighter leaf colour and longer hair length (on pubescent leaves) both contributed to reduced leaf temperature. However, in succulent Sempervivum, colour and pubescence made no significant contribution; leaf thickness and rate of water loss were the key regulating factors. We propose that this can lead to different plant types having significantly different potentials for cooling. We suggest that maintaining transpirational water loss by sustainable irrigation and selecting urban plants with favourable morphological traits are the key to maximising thermal benefits provided by applications such as green roofs.


Botany ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (11) ◽  
pp. 995-1005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenichi Yoshimura

Rhododendron reticulatum D. Don ex G.Don is a common understory shrub in western Japan that exhibits highly plastic crown architecture and occurs in various light environments. I investigated how functional differentiation and spatial distribution of long and short shoots contribute to the plasticity of crown architecture of R. reticulatum. Crown form was derived from the crown depth/width ratio. Crown depth/width ratio was higher in sun-lit crowns. In crowns with higher depth/width ratio, long shoots were distributed in upper positions of the crown. Long shoots grew vertically and horizontally. In crowns with lower depth/width ratio, long shoots were arranged in the outer position of the crown and grew outward. Within neighboring shoots, long shoots had less mass than their paired short shoots. Results suggest that long shoots of R. reticulatum function to expand the crown and to reduce leaf overlap in multilayer crowns, which are found in high-light environments, while both long and short shoots function to minimize leaf overlap in monolayer crowns, which are found in shaded environments. Plasticity of crown architecture by altering shoot position and shoot morphology allows growth under various light environments in the forest understory.


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