Morphological variability of leaves of Sorbus domestica L. in Croatia

Abstract

The paper studies the morphological variability of the service tree populations in the continental and Mediterranean regions of Croatia. The inter-and intra-population variability, as well as eco-geographic population differentiation, was established on the basis of eight measured morphological characteristics of two types of leaflets (lateral and terminal) and two derived ratios, using descriptive and multivariate statistical methods. The conducted research established a high variability of morphological characteristics. In comparison with lateral leaflets, terminal leaflets showed a higher degree of variability for the majority of the studied variables. The differences between the trees within populations, as well as the differences between populations, were confirmed for all studied characteristics. The study also confirmed a trend of population variations according to the eco-geographic principle. Populations from climatically different and geographically distant habitats, in other words from the Mediterranean and the continental region, differed in the majority of studied characteristics. In addition to the established pattern of ecotypical variability between the continental and the Mediterranean regions, the clinal variability with regard to altitude and mean annual temperature was also confirmed. Small, although statistically significant clinal variability with regard to the longitude was recorded for two measured characteristics. The conducted study provided insights into the variability of the service tree populations in Croatia, which is a basis for further research that should be implemented in order to produce guidelines for the breeding and conservation of genetic resources of this rare and endangered noble hardwood species.

Phenotypic diversity and plasticity index of Eurycoma apiculata populations in Eastern Sumatra, Indonesia based on leaves morphology

“…This revealed that all traits studied in the lateral leaflet were less diverse (stable) compared to basal and terminal leaflets. Our results are similar to those reported by Brus et al (2011) and Poljak et al (2015) in Sorbus domestica L. For the efficiency of leaflet morphological measurements on compound leaves, we recommend using only lateral leaflet samples.…”

“…A total of 45 traits were measured on the leaves as shown in Figure 2 and Table 2 following Gonzalez-Rodrigues and Oyama (2005), Brus et al (2011), Jarni et al (2011), and Poljak et al (2015) methods. Leaflet measurements were conducted using a digital caliper with 0.01 mm accuracy of measurements.…”

“…As a preliminary study, we will assess the phenotypic diversity of E. apiculata in a larger geographical scale based on the leaflet morphometric analysis. However, the main disadvantage in using solely a morphometric approach is the difficulty to distinguish observed variation in natural populations B I OD I V E R S ITA S 21 (7): 2923-2934, July 2020 2924 whether originate from genetic diversity or phenotypic plasticity, but this method is still frequently used researchers to estimate the morphological variability of plant species (Kajba et al 2015;Poljak et al 2015;Yang et al 2015;Stojnic et al 2016;Romeo et al 2016;Yang et al 2016;Han et al 2017;Sheng et al 2017;Bijarpasi et al 2019). The morphological traits of leaves in tree species can provide rich information about the evolution of genetics and phenotypic diversity.…”

Sorbus domestica L. at its northern Pannonian distribution limits: distribution of individuals, fruit shapes and dendrometric characteristics

“…Left: old tree with broad tree crown growing in the garden (orchard). Right: young tree with the high trunk and absent branches growing in forest is rare in Europe, with the highest frequency of occurrence in the Mediterranean Europe (Balkans, Italy, southern France) and a scattered distribution across Central and Western Europe, extending to Crimea in Ukraine, eastwards, and Northern Africa, southwards (Bignami & Cammilli, 1998;Moinet, 2009;Drvodelić et al, 2015;George et al, 2015;Poljak et al, 2015). It has a two-millennia-long tradition of cultivation in the Mediterranean region dating back to ancient Rome (Brütsch & Rotach, 1993), with the oldest record from Theophrastos (371-287 BC) in ancient Greece (Kausch-Blecken von Schmeling, 2000).…”

Stimulation of Germination and Seedling Vigor in Dormant Seeds of African Juniper

“…Both morphologically and physiologically, dormancy must be broken for germination to occur. Even under optimal conditions (e.g., temperature, light, oxygen, and moisture), some seeds do not germinate due to seed dormancy (Bewley et al, 2013;Poljak et al, 2015). Seed dormancy takes five different forms, namely morpho-physiological dormancy, morphological dormancy, physiological dormancy, physical dormancy, and a combination of physical and physiological dormancy Baskin, 2004, 2014;Bonner, 2008).…”