Changes in the geometrical morphology of Fagus orientalis leaves in the altitudinal gradient

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Authors

1 PhD student, Forest Biological Sciences, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran.

2 Associate Professor, Department of Forestry and Forest Ecology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.

3 Master's degree in Forest Biology, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Gorgan, Iran.

Abstract

Background and objectives: One of the oldest methods of classification and identification of different plant species is the use of morphological traits. Among the morphological characteristics, leaves are very important due to photosynthesis and carbon capture. Morphometric analysis is usually done by two traditional and geometric methods. The studies of the morphological changes of plants in Iran are based on the traditional method and geometric morphometry has been used for animal species. The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in the geometrical morphology of Fagus orientalis leaf at different altitudes and to compare its results with the traditional morphological changes.
Materials and methods: In this research, the natural population of Fagus orientalis was sampled in four altitudinal stations. In traditional morphological method, 40 trees were selected and in geometric morphology, 10 trees were selected at each height, and 1 leaf was selected from each direction of the tree crown. In the traditional study, morphological traits including lamina length, lamina width, lamina area, lamina perimeter, Shape factor and Length to width ratio measured with a Leaf Area Meter device. In the geometrical study, the sample of collected leaves was dried and then stored digitally with a scanner in the form of an image and the 8 morphological traits that are scanned as landmarks on the images are supposed to be used to investigate the morphological changes of eastern beech leaves at different altitudes. Data analysis was done with multiway analysis of variance and Duncan's test.
Results: The results showed that altitude is one of the important factors in the formation of leaf morphology in eastern beech. Trees that grow at high altitudes generally have smaller leaves which showes the adaptability of the eastern beech to the environmental conditions at each height level. The characteristics of the beginning of the petiole, the end of the petiole, the last vein on the left side, the widest leaf width from the left side, the widest leaf width from the right side in geometric morphology and the characteristics of the perimeter and area in traditional morphology were introduced as the most effective traits in the separation of populations.
Conclusion: In this study, it was found that the populations of different altitudes were separated in both traditional and geometric morphological methods, and it was shown that the two traditional and geometric methods do not work in the same way between samples, the grouping of most populations in morphological Geometrical analysis shows the efficiency and accuracy of this method in the separation of populations. Using this modern method, geometric information about morphological differences can be displayed in images and using different images. As a result, the differences in the populations are highlighted and the interpretability of the results increase. Detetmining the most effective traits in the separation of populations also indicats that the capability of the geometric method is more different and more detailed in defining traits.

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Main Subjects

References

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Journal of Wood and Forest Science and Technology
Volume 30, Issue 1
March 2023
Pages 45-65

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