Morphology, geometric morphometrics, and taxonomy in relict deciduous oaks woods in northern Italy

Abstract The Euganean Hills are a well-known refugee site for thermophilous woody flora in northern Italy. Among the species recorded here, there is Quercus dalechampii. The Euganean Hills are the only northern Italy site where the occurrence of this oak species is considered. The aim of this paper was to verify the presence of Q. dalechampii in the study area and to select possible diagnostic morphological traits that are usable to distinguish it from Q. petraea and Q. pubescens. Forest stands dominated by Q. petraea, Q. pubescens, and the presumed Q. dalechampii were sampled using the phytosociological approach to highlight their ecological features. Leaf and fruit material from 104 oak individuals was analysed from a macro-morphological and micro-morphological point of view. Leaf shape was also analysed using the geometric morphometric approach. All multivariate analysis procedures applied on the matrices of leaf and fruit traits highlighted two main clusters of morphological diversity. One was restricted to Q. pubescens individuals, and the other one was a mix of Q. petraea and presumed Q. dalechampii individuals. According to the twig and leaf trichome traits, all presumed Q. dalechampii individuals were classified as belonging to the Q. petraea collective group. Morphological differences between Q. petraea and presumed Q. dalechampii were considered not significant. In conclusion, the occurrence of a third oak species, in addition to Q. petraea and Q. pubescens, was not confirmed for the study area by the results of this paper. Graphic abstract

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Ferulago akpulatii (Apiaceae): A new species from Central Anatolia, Turkey

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.518.2.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 518 (2) ◽

pp. 100-108

Author(s):

BAHAR GÜRDAL ◽

BÜLENT OLCAY ◽

HÜSEYİN ONUR TUNCAY ◽

EMİNE AKALIN

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Leaf Shape ◽

Identification Key ◽

Central Anatolia ◽

Cauline Leaf ◽

Anatomical Features ◽

Diagnostic Characteristics ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

A New Species ◽

Inflorescence Type

Ferulago akpulatii (Apiaceae) is described as a new species endemic to Central Anatolia, Turkey. It is closely related to Ferulago platycarpa and F. pauciradiata, and is easily distinguished by its cauline leaf shape, inflorescence type, and fruit features. The main morphological differences between Ferulago akpulatii and related taxa are discussed, and the diagnostic characteristics, including the anatomical features of fruits, are given in detail. An identification key of Ferulago akpulatii and the morphologically closer species is also provided.

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Morphological diversity in tenrecs (Afrosoricida, Tenrecidae): comparing tenrec skull diversity to their closest relatives

10.7287/peerj.preprints.811v1 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Sive Finlay ◽

Natalie Cooper

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Quantitative Methods ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Lateral View ◽

Ecological Niches ◽

Diverse Group ◽

Geometric Morphometric ◽

Skull Shape ◽

Morphometric Analyses ◽

The Family

Morphological diversity is often studied qualitatively. However, to truly understand the evolution of exceptional diversity, it is important to take a quantitative approach instead of relying on subjective, qualitative assessments. Here, we present a quantitative analysis of morphological diversity in a Family of small mammals, the tenrecs (Afrosoricida, Tenrecidae). Tenrecs are often cited as an example of an exceptionally morphologically diverse group. However, this assumption has not been tested quantitatively. We use geometric morphometric analyses of skull shape to test whether tenrecs are more morphologically diverse than their closest relatives, the golden moles (Afrosoricida, Chrysochloridae). Tenrecs occupy a wider range of ecological niches than golden moles so we predict that they will be more morphologically diverse. Contrary to our expectations, We find that tenrec skulls are only more morphologically diverse than golden moles when measured in lateral view. Furthermore, similarities among the species-rich Microgale tenrec Genus appear to mask higher morphological diversity in the rest of the Family. These results reveal new insights into the morphological diversity of tenrecs and highlight the importance of using quantitative methods to test qualitative assumptions about patterns of morphological diversity.

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In Vitro Mutagenesis of Etlingera elatior by Gamma Ray Intermittent Irradiation

Journal of Tropical Crop Science ◽

10.29244/jtcs.5.3.111-118 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 111-118 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Elmi Irmayanti Azzahra ◽

Syarifah Iis Aisyah ◽

Diny Dinarti ◽

Krisantini Krisantini

Keyword(s):

Gamma Ray ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Leaf Shape ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Mutation Breeding ◽

Ornamental Plant ◽

In Vitro Mutagenesis ◽

Split Dose ◽

Etlingera Elatior

Etlingera elatior is tropical ornamental plant commonly called “torch ginger” from Zingiberaceae family. Conventional breeding of E. elatior is limited by cross incompatibility, poor fruit set and low seed production. In this study irradiation of E. elatior with Gamma ray performed to induce mutation. This study was aimed to increase morphological diversity and to obtain unique morphological characters to increase the aesthetic value of E. elatior as ornamental plants and cut flower. Two genotypes of E. elatior, red and white flowers, were tested. The LD20, LD35, and LD50 were determined following intermittent (split dose) Gamma irradiation with a two-hour gap between each gamma ray shot. Red genotype E. elatior explants were irradiated with dose of 3 + 3 Gy (LD20); 4 + 4 Gy (LD35) and 5 + 5 Gy (LD50); white genotype were irradiated with a dose of 2 + 2 Gy (LD20); 2.8 + 2.8 Gy (LD35) and 3.7 + 3.7 Gy (LD50). Non-irradiated explants were set as control. The results of this study indicated that the increase in dose of gamma ray irradiation changed shoot length and number of leaves in the red genotype per explant as compared to control. Morphological changes occurred in leaf shape at 5 + 5 Gy and 3.7 + 3.7 Gy and formation of variegated leaves at 2.8 + 2.8 Gy and 5 + 5 Gy. Keywords: mutation breeding, ornamental plant, split irradiation dose, torch ginger, Zingiberaceae

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Morphological diversity of the stone crayfish − traditional and geometric morphometric approach

Knowledge and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems ◽

10.1051/kmae/2019042 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Leona Lovrenčić ◽

Vjera Pavić ◽

Stefan Majnarić ◽

Lucija Abramović ◽

Mišel Jelić ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Morphological Variability ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Dorsal Side ◽

Small Scale ◽

Geometric Morphometric ◽

Discriminant Analyses ◽

Stone Crayfish ◽

Multivariate Discriminant ◽

First Time

Austropotamobius torrentium is one of four native European crayfish species inhabiting Croatian freshwaters. Existence of eight divergent monophyletic mtDNA phylogroups was described within A. torrentium; six of them are distributed in Croatia, with the highest genetic diversity established in its northern-central Dinaric region. Recent small-scale study of the stone crayfish morphological variability indicated significant differences among different phylogroups. In the present study larger sample size, covering populations from five phylogroups, was analysed with the aim of determining whether there are morphological characteristics that reliably separate stone crayfish from different phylogroups. Aiming this, 245 stone crayfish were analysed through traditional (TM) and, for the first time, geometric morphometric (GM) analyses. Multivariate discriminant analyses included 24 TM characteristics per crayfish, while GM comprised analyses of 22 landmarks on the dorsal side of cephalon. Both methods revealed congruent results, and significant differences among phylogroups in analysed features were obtained, with the cephalon shape contributing the most to crayfish discrimination. Research confirmed that both approaches, combined with statistical methods, are useful in distinguishing and separating crayfish phylogroups. Findings of present study are compatible with the previous molecular findings; stone crayfish present several distinct evolutionary lineages whose species status are currently undefined and require urgent clarification.

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Optimal fishing samplers to reveal the morphological structure of a fish assemblage in a subtropical tidal flat

Neotropical Ichthyology ◽

10.1590/1982-0224-20170168 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Carolina C. Siliprandi ◽

Víctor M. Tuset ◽

Antoni Lombarte ◽

Marc Farré ◽

Carmen L. D. B. Rossi-Wongtschowski

Keyword(s):

Tidal Flat ◽

Fish Assemblage ◽

Fish Assemblages ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Morphological Structure ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Otter Trawl ◽

Brazilian Coast ◽

Geometric Morphometric

ABSTRACT Morphological characters of species are essential for assessing the functional structure of a fish assemblage, since differences between them, for example in body shape, are related to many functional and ecological traits (e.g., swimming, search for food, striking and capturing prey, evading predators, spawning). Globally, tidal flats are relevant to fish assemblages by offering feeding, refuge, and reproduction grounds. To analyze the morphofunctional structure of the fish assemblage from a tidal flat on the Brazilian coast, we conducted standardized sampling using nine different fishing gears. The geometric morphometric method was applied to describe the fish shapes and verify the morphological structure of the assemblage. Here, we present the influence/susceptibility of each gear type on the morphological diversity of the fish assemblage. The results indicated that beach seine, otter trawl, marginal encircling gillnet, and fish traps, together, were the most effective gears to represent the maximum morphological variability of fish inhabiting that tidal flat. Moreover, the assemblage showed high morphological redundancy considered as a resistance of the ecosystem for avoiding functional diversity loss, emphasizing the importance of complementary gear use when determining fish assemblages in a conservation context.

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The significance of shared leaf shape in Alseuosmia pusilla and Pseudowintera colorata

Botany ◽

10.1139/cjb-2016-0049 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 94 (7) ◽

pp. 555-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Karl G. Yager ◽

H. Martin Schaefer ◽

Kevin S. Gould

Keyword(s):

Spatial Variation ◽

Plant Species ◽

Altitudinal Gradient ◽

Leaf Shape ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Spatially Explicit ◽

Shape Variation ◽

Geometric Morphometric ◽

Leaf Characteristics ◽

Shape And Size

Leaf shape, size, and colour are used by herbivores to identify sources of palatable foliage for food. It is possible, therefore, that an undefended plant might gain protection from herbivores by matching leaf characteristics of a chemically defended species. We demonstrate the use of a geometric morphometric approach to quantify spatial variation in leaf shape and size across populations of Pseudowintera colorata (Raoul) Dandy, and a putative Batesian mimic, Alseuosmia pusilla (Colenso) A. Cunningham. These are unrelated, sympatric species that, to the human eye, bear strikingly similar foliage. Using the Cartesian coordinates of leaf margins as descriptors of leaf shape, we found that in the chemically defended P. colorata, leaves were morphologically distinct from all of the neighbouring species except for the undefended A. pusilla. Alseuosmia pusilla individuals were more similar to neighbouring than to distant P. colorata, and 90% of leaf shape variation in the two species varied similarly across an altitudinal gradient. The data are consistent with Batesian mimicry, wherein the conspicuous characteristic of a defended model is replicated by an undefended mimic across its entire growing range. Our study provides the first detailed and powerful quantitative leaf shape evidence of leaf shape being matched between an undefended plant species to a chemically defended unrelated species across a shared growing range, and highlights the importance of using a spatially explicit morphometric method when investigating leaf shape, especially in relation to plant mimicry.

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The genus Acellomyia González, a new taxonomic arrangement of its species and descriptions of a new genus and two new species from southern South America (Diptera: Tabanidae: Diachlorini)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4337.4.4 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4337 (4) ◽

pp. 523

Author(s):

CHRISTIAN R. GONZÁLEZ

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

New Species ◽

South America ◽

New Genus ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Southern Chile ◽

Key To Species ◽

Southern South America ◽

Two New Species ◽

Morphological Differences

The tabanid tribe Diachlorini (Diptera) is the most genus-rich tribe in the Tabanidae; the tribe is cosmopolitan, but the greatest species richness and morphological diversity are found in the Australasian and Neotropical Regions. A new arrangement for the species of Acellomyia González is given; Acellomyia lauta (Hine) is transferred to a new genus, Montismyia gen.n., based on its morphological differences from Acellomyia and geographical distribution. The morphological differences between Acellomyia and Montismyia gen. n. are discussed. Two new species, Acellomyia casablanca sp.n. and Acellomyia puyehue sp.n., are described from specimens collected in southern Chile. Comparison of the morphology of Acellomyia paulseni mapuche (Coscarón & Philip) stat.nov. indicate that they should be elevated to species rank. A key to species of Acellomyia is provided and diagnostic characters are illustrated.

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Dialectisms in the novella “The Ravine” by S.A. Yesenin

Neophilology ◽

10.20310/2587-6953-2019-5-19-282-292 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 282-292

Author(s):

Elena V. LOGACHEVA

Keyword(s):

Morphological Diversity ◽

Component Analysis ◽

Point Of View ◽

Speech Activity ◽

Part Of Speech ◽

First Time ◽

Individual Style

We analyze lexical and semantic originality and part of speech activity of dialect words as one of the stylistic dominants of the S.А. Yesenin’s novella “The Ravine” and as part of his in-dividual creative manner. This study was conducted for the first time. We consider the material using the methods of interpretation, component analysis, as well as structural descriptive and con-textual methods. In the course of working with the existing literature on this issue, we discover the lack of material coverage and the absence of dialect vocabulary analysis in the novella “The Ravine” from morphological point of view. We find the thematic, morphological diversity and reveal the manifestation specificity of local words in the author’s and dialogical speech of the work, as well as the functional validity of their application. We prove that the use of local words in novella is caused not only by the idea of novella being a village theme work, but also has a deep cognitive basis. The relevance of the study lies in the fact that conducted research of novella’s dialectal vo-cabulary allows to complement the knowledge of the specificity of S.A. Yesenin poetics’, his lin-guistic worldview and the peculiarity of his individual style.

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Bipedal locomotion in birds: the importance of functional parameters in terrestrial adaptation in Anatidae

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z00-112 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 78 (11) ◽

pp. 1994-1998 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Anick Abourachid

Keyword(s):

Point Of View ◽

Functional Adaptation ◽

Bipedal Locomotion ◽

Upright Posture ◽

Behavioural Adaptation ◽

Terrestrial Locomotion ◽

Kinematic Characteristics ◽

Dabbling Duck ◽

History Of ◽

Morphological Differences

The kinematic characteristics of a bird's walk vary according to whether the species is cursorial or not. To increase their speed, running birds increase the frequency of their movements, whereas non-running birds preferentially increase the amplitude. Previous studies have shown that these differences are accompanied by differences in posture; however, the observations were carried out on different species. Do these differences correspond to morphological differences linked to the history of the particular species, or do they reflect more effective solutions from a mechanical point of view? Two breeds of the duck Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos, the mallard and the Indian runner, which have different locomotor behaviours, are compared. The mallard is a dabbling duck with the typical horizontal duck posture, while the Indian runner is a terrestrial duck that carries its trunk very erect. The kinematic characteristics of the walks of both breeds were studied. The observed differences in posture between the mallard and the Indian runner have repercussions in the kinematic features of locomotion. The strategies used to increase speed differ in the two breeds: the mallard increases the amplitude of its movements, like other non-running birds, while the Indian runner increases the frequency of its movements, as cursorial birds do. Thus, behavioural adaptation to terrestrial locomotion is associated with functional adaptation (upright posture) that permits a more effective mechanical solution without requiring obvious morphological modifications.

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Sexual dimorphism in the carapace shape and length of the freshwater palaemonid shrimp Macrobrachium potiuna (Müller, 1880) (Decapoda: Caridea: Palaemonidae): geometric and traditional morphometric approaches

Animal Biology ◽

10.1163/15707563-00002522 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 93-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Madson Silveira de Melo ◽

Setuko Masunari

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Behavioral Differences ◽

Geometric Morphometric ◽

Freshwater Shrimps ◽

Morphometric Analyses ◽

Males And Females ◽

Morphological Differences ◽

Three Rivers ◽

Coastal Basin

Sexual dimorphism is characterized by morphological, physiological, or behavioral differences between males and females. The genus Macrobrachium is a diverse group of freshwater shrimps distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions. They have a great intra- and interspecific morphological variation, with some species showing sexual dimorphism. We investigated the sexual dimorphism of the size and shape of the carapace and body weight of Macrobrachium potiuna (Müller, 1880) in three populations of the State of Paraná through traditional and geometric morphometric techniques. The populations were sampled from three rivers: the Pombas River, Coastal Basin, the Piraquara River, First Plateau, and the Guabiroba River, Second Plateau. Morphometric analyses indicated that male shrimps showed differences in carapace length and body weight: the higher the distance from the sea, the smaller and lighter the shrimps. Carapace shape also differed significantly between the sexes in all three populations, with males having a less robust carapace, but a more elongated rostrum than females. The morphological differences between the genders seem to reflect the reproductive roles of males and females in this environment.

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