Do Morphological Traits Predict Ecological Guilds of the Mekong Fish Fauna?

Southeast Asian riverine fishes are classified into three guilds (‘black’, ‘white’ and ‘grey’ species) based on their reproductive and migration strategies. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether fish morphology could be used to predict the Mekong fish guilds. Nine dimensionless ratios of fish morphological traits were used to describe the locomotion and food acquisition strategies of 121 fish species. The links between morphological traits and fish guilds were assessed using a principal component analysis (PCA) and a variance partitioning analysis, which revealed a strong morphological overlap between the guilds. Despite the high contribution of intra-guild variability to overall morphological variability (~90%), black and white fish significantly differed in terms of locomotion-related traits. Mekong fish guilds were satisfactorily predicted by using a random forest (RF) model, which produced a percentage of successful classification of ca 50% for each of the three guilds. Caudal propulsion efficiency, pectoral fin vertical position and body elongation were the most significant traits in the RF predictive model. Although the present study provides initial insight into the links between Mekong fish morphology and ecological guilds, further research is needed in order to clarify the relationship between species morphology, migratory status and responses to environmental variation.

Download Full-text

Morphological and molecular diversity and genetic structure of Moroccan cultivated almond (Prunus dulcisMill.) beside some foreign varieties

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1017/s1479262114000094 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 308-316 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Abdelali El Hamzaoui ◽

Ahmed Oukabli ◽

Mohiéddine Moumni

Keyword(s):

Morphological Traits ◽

Phenotypic Diversity ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Principal Component ◽

Leaf Traits ◽

Prunus Dulcis ◽

Fruit Traits ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Breeding Programmes ◽

Clustering Approach

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.

Download Full-text

Phenotypic Diversity of Doum Palm (Hyphaene compressa), a Semi‐Domesticated Palm in the Arid and Semi‐Arid Regions of Kenya

Scientifica ◽

10.1155/2020/4920830 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-13

Author(s):

Agnes Omire ◽

Nancy L. M. Budambula ◽

Johnstone Neondo ◽

Robert Gituru ◽

Cecilia Mweu

Keyword(s):

Rural Communities ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Phenotypic Diversity ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Principal Component ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Fruit Traits ◽

Coastal Regions ◽

Linear Discriminant

Hyphaene compressa is an economically important palm in Africa. Despite its significant role in the livelihoods of rural communities, the diversity of doum palm is poorly documented and studied. In addition, it has no model descriptor that can aid such studies. Ninety H. compressa accessions collected from Northern, Eastern, and Coastal regions of Kenya were examined to determine the morphological variability of the vegetative and fruit traits of H. compressa and to identify its morphotypes for improvement. A total of 19 morphological characters including seven quantitative and 12 qualitative traits of fruit and vegetative traits were selected. Linear mixed-effects models, principal component analysis, and linear discriminant analyses were used to assess the variation in the morphological traits of doum palm based on the regions. Hierarchical clustering was performed to identify the morphotypes of H. compressa. There was variability in H. compressa morphological traits, particularly at the Kenyan Coast. All seven quantitative traits were able to effectively discriminate doum palm phenotypically p ≤ 0.001 . The 90 accessions clustered into five morphotypes designated as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Morphotype 4 was specific only to the Coastal region. Morphotype 5 had the tallest trees with the biggest fruits and included palms from Eastern and Coastal regions making it the best morphotype for fruit traits. This study will inform the domestication, improvement, and conservation of H. compressa by selecting elite accessions.

Download Full-text

Study on dispersion of genetic variation among Indian garlic ecotypes using agro morphological traits

Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding (The) ◽

10.31742/ijgpb.80.1.12 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 80 (01) ◽

Author(s):

Ashwini Prashant Benke ◽

Anil Khar ◽

Vijay Mahajan ◽

Amarjeet Gupta ◽

Major Singh

Keyword(s):

Morphological Traits ◽

Germplasm Collection ◽

Principal Component ◽

Pooled Analysis ◽

Direct Selection ◽

Marketable Yield ◽

Plant Weight ◽

Medicinal Value ◽

Number Of Leaves ◽

Clustering Pattern

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) a clonally propagated bulbous crop, is of high medicinal value owing to its sulphur-containing compounds. Although asexually propagated, garlic depicts wide genetic diversity in agro-morphological traits and biochemical composition. A study was conducted to dissect the extent of genetic divergence among 625 Indian garlic genotypes considering 21 agro-morphological traits. Pooled analysis exhibited significant variation among accessions for various morphological traits. Ward’s clustering method clustered germplasm collection into three distinct groups. Clustering pattern did not correspond with geographical origin of accessions. Strong and positive correlation of marketable yield with plant weight with leaves (r = 0.83), plant weight without leaves (r = 0.84), average bulb weight (r = 0.50), plant height (r = 0.58), pseudostem length (r = 0.59), number of leaves (r = 0.54) and weight of fifty cloves (r = 0.49) was recorded. These traits will be useful for direct selection in crops like garlic. Principal Component analysis minimised 21 components up to 12 vectors which measured nearly 90% variation. Conservation of such vital and diverse garlic genotype is prerequisite to assure successful selection breeding programme.

Download Full-text

Comparative analysis of populations of the Balkan endemic species Daphne malyana Blecic (Thymeleaceae)

Archives of Biological Sciences ◽

10.2298/abs1004151j ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 62 (4) ◽

pp. 1151-1162 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Marina Juskovic ◽

P. Vasiljevic ◽

V. Randjelovic ◽

V. Stevanovic ◽

Branka Stevanovic

Keyword(s):

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Endemic Species ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Principal Component ◽

Balkan Peninsula ◽

Canonical Discriminant Analysis ◽

The Other ◽

Isolated Populations ◽

Microclimate Conditions

Daphne malyana Blecic (Thymeleaceae) is an endemic species of the western part of the Balkan Peninsula, distributed in the mountains, canyons and gorges of N. Montenegro, E. Bosnia and W. Serbia. The comparative morphoanatomic investigations have included four distantly separated populations of the species D. malyana, i.e. two from Serbia, from the ravines of Sokoline and Vranjak on Mt. Tara, and two from Montenegro, in the canyons of the Tara and Piva rivers. Comparative morphoanatomical studies have shown the presence of general adaptive characteristics of a specific, conservative xeromorphic type, slightly differing in each population. Principal component analysis (PCA) and canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) of 20 morphoanatomical characteristics of the leaves and stems have shown a clear distinction between the populations from the river Piva canyon (Montenegro) and those from the Sokoline ravine (Serbia), on one side, and those of Vranjak gorge (Serbia) and of the river Tara canyon (Montenegro) on the other side. It may be assumed that the mild morphological variability of the isolated populations of the Balkan endemic species D. malyana in the canyons and gorges seem to have been affected by the microclimate conditions in their habitats.

Download Full-text

Morphological correlates of prey consumed by Podarcis melisellensis (Braun, 1877) and P. siculus (Rafinesque, 1810) (Sauria, Lacertidae) from two mainland regions in the eastern Adriatic area

Archives of Biological Sciences ◽

10.2298/abs1303015s ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 65 (3) ◽

pp. 1015-1025

Author(s):

S.Z. Stamenkovic ◽

Rada Matic

Keyword(s):

Resource Availability ◽

Optimal Foraging ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Prey Size ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Optimal Foraging Theory ◽

Variance Partitioning ◽

Morphometric Data ◽

Lizard Species ◽

Trophic Resource

The correlation between trophic utilization and morphology was studied for two lizard species (Podarcis melisellensis and P. siculus) from two mainland localities in the eastern Adriatic area; this is the first report of trophic and morphometric data for P. melisellensis from mainland populations. Variance partitioning showed that most of the variation in morphological traits for the analyzed lizards was the result of differences between species, and to a lesser extent between sexes. Locality did not have a strong effect on the variation of morphological traits. Prey weight is the only characteristic of prey that generally exhibits correlations with morphological characteristics rather than prey size. The pattern of correlations is generally weaker for P. melisellensis than for P. siculus. Optimal foraging theory predictions were generally confirmed: P. siculus is more constrained by trophic resource availability, with a premium on larger and heavier prey consumed in the less productive locality (SM), which can be relaxed in more productive regions (KL). P. melisellensis shows such constraints only for males in the less productive region (SM). Females of both species consume heavier prey.

Download Full-text

Evaluation of the morphological diversity of tea roses (Rosa x odorata) based on phenotypic traits

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1017/s1479262120000179 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (3) ◽

pp. 149-158

Author(s):

Bixuan Cheng ◽

Chao Yu ◽

Heling Fu ◽

Lijun Zhou ◽

Le Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Correlation Analysis ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Significant Positive Correlation ◽

Flower Colour ◽

Principal Component ◽

Morphological Diversity ◽

Component Analysis ◽

Germplasm Resources ◽

Trait Correlation

AbstractRosa x odorata (sect. Chinenses, Rosaceae) is an important species distributed only in Yunnan Province, China. There is an abundance of wild variation within the species. Using 22 germplasm resources collected from the wild, as well as R. chinensis var. spontanea, R. chinensis ‘Old Blush’ and R. lucidissima, this study involved morphological variation analysis, inter-trait correlation analysis, principal component analysis and clustering analysis based on 16 morphological traits. This study identified a high degree of morphological diversity in R. x odorata germplasm resources and the variation coefficients had a distribution range from 18.00 to 184.04%. The flower colour had the highest degree of variation, while leaflet length/width had the lowest degree of variation. Inter-trait correlation analysis revealed that there was an extremely significant positive correlation between leaflet length and leaflet width. There was also a significant positive correlation between the number of petals and duration of blooming, and the L* and a* values of flower colour were significantly negatively correlated. Principal component analysis screened five principal components with the highest cumulative contribution rate (81.679%) to population variance. Among the 16 morphological traits, style length, sepal width, flower diameter, flower colour, leaflet length and leaflet width were important indices that influenced the morphology of R. x odorata. This study offers guidance for the further development and utilization of R. x odorata germplasm resources.

Download Full-text

Morphological variability between diploid and tetraploid taxa of the genus Betula L. in the Czech Republic

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/105/2017-jfs ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 63 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 531-537 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Linda Rostislav ◽

Kuneš Ivan ◽

Baláš Martin ◽

Gallo Josef

Keyword(s):

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Czech Republic ◽

Reliable Method ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Principal Component ◽

The Czech Republic ◽

Forest Region ◽

Blade Width ◽

The Bohemian Forest ◽

Classification Function

The aim of this work was to suggest a reliable method for distinguishing between diploid and tetraploid taxa of the genus Betula Linnaeus, based on leaf measurements. In total, 97 individuals from 6 locations within the Bohemian Forest region (Czech Republic) were selected. Four leaves from each individual were evaluated. On each leaf, twenty parameters were measured. Each sample was analysed by flow cytometry to determine its actual ploidy. Measured parameters were analysed by principal component analysis and tested for differences between diploid and tetraploid taxa. For actual ploidy prediction, a classification function was designed. The reliability of the classification function was verified on samples from three different regions of the Czech Republic and compared with functions as suggested by other authors. The classification function designed in this work (based on 3 parameters – blade width in the upper 1/4 of blade length, first vein angle and number of leaf teeth between 3<sup>rd</sup> and 4<sup>th</sup> vein) correctly determined actual ploidy in 89% of all tested samples.

Download Full-text

A Systematic Analysis of the Alpine Saxifrage Complex (Saxifragaceae) in the Canadian Arctic Islands Using Morphology and Chloroplast DNA Data

The Canadian Field-Naturalist ◽

10.22621/cfn.v118i3.1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 118 (3) ◽

pp. 326 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Caroline Healy ◽

Lynn J. Gillespie

Keyword(s):

Morphological Variability ◽

Canadian Arctic ◽

Principal Component ◽

Distinct Species ◽

Morphological Characters ◽

Sympatric Species ◽

Sensu Stricto ◽

Morphological Data ◽

Systematic Analysis ◽

Site Analysis

The Saxifraga nivalis complex displays significant ecological, morphological and cytological variation. Most European studies suggest that the S. nivalis complex comprises two distinct species: Saxifraga nivalis sensu stricto and Saxifraga tenuis. However, the presence of intermediate morphotypes, inconsistencies in chromosomal counts and variability in morphological keys and descriptions have led to different taxonomic interpretations of the complex in North America. This study investigated the systematics of Canadian Arctic Island members of this complex from 157 specimens using 23 morphological characters. Principal component analysis of the morphological data revealed two adjacent clusters, corresponding to the two taxa and consistent with a close morphological similarity and the presence of hybrids. A preliminary restriction site analysis of five non-coding regions of the chloroplast genome, trnH-trnK, trnT-trnF, trnF-trnV, trnV-rbcL and rbcL-ORF106, was conducted using 21 restriction endonucleases. This analysis indicated a length difference between the trnT-trnF region of S. nivalis and that of S. tenuis, but no difference in restriction sites for any of the assayed regions. These results confirm that in the Canadian Arctic, the S. nivalis complex consists of two closely related, largely sympatric species, with notable morphological variability, and possible hybrids.

Download Full-text

Characterization of medicinal Senna genetic resources

Plant Genetic Resources ◽

10.1017/s1479262109344111 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 7 (03) ◽

pp. 257-259 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. B. Morris

Keyword(s):

Pancreatic Cancer ◽

Principal Component Analysis ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Genetic Resources ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Principal Component ◽

Component Analysis ◽

Pharmaceutical Products ◽

Seed Reproduction

At 50% maturity, regeneratingSennaspecies were characterized for morphological traits, seed reproduction, and evaluated for regeneration. Quality plants regenerated from all accessions produced 1018 to more than 21,215 total seeds. Principal component analysis revealed which traits contributed the greatest to variability among coffee senna accessions.Sennaspecies have potential to produce pharmaceutical products and can be grown as medicinal plants. The flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol found inSennaspecies have been clinically shown to have anti-pancreatic cancer properties.

Download Full-text

Stratophenetic tracing of phylogeny using SIMCA pattern recognition technique: a case study of the late Neogene planktic foraminiferaGloboconellaclade

Paleobiology ◽

10.1017/s0094837300011131 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 52-65 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Kuo-Yen Wei

Keyword(s):

Pattern Recognition ◽

Morphological Variability ◽

Principal Component ◽

Pattern Recognition Technique ◽

Evolutionary Patterns ◽

Continuous Increase ◽

Late Neogene ◽

History Of ◽

Classification Procedures ◽

Recognition Technique

The Plio-Pleistocene planktic foraminiferal sequence of theGloborotalia(Globoconella)puncticulata-inflataclade in Deep Sea Drilling Project Site 588, dated at 4.36 Ma to 0.05 Ma, records the branching history of theG. inflatalineage from the ancestralG. puncticulatalineage. The gradational nature of the divergence and the enormous morphological variability inherent in theG. inflatalineage have elicited different views on taxonomy and phylogeny of this clade. A pattern recognition technique, soft independent modeling of class analog (SIMCA), was used as an objective quantitative stratophenetic methodology to reconstruct the phylogenetic history.Typical specimens of two species,G. puncticulataandG. inflata,were identified from a stratigraphic level dated at 2.76 Ma. Principal component models were built to characterize the morphometric patterns of the two morphotypes using SIMCA. TheGloboconellaspecimens of the next lower and higher adjacent stratigraphic levels were evaluated against the models and classified into one of the two morphotypes. The newly classified specimens were then used to build new models for further tracing of lineages in lower and upper sections, respectively. Progression of such training and classification procedures through stratigraphic intervals resulted in a reconstruction of the evolutionary patterns of the two lineages. Cladogenesis gave rise to the descendant lineage,G. inflata,at about 3.5 Ma. The two co-existing species,G. inflataandG. puncticulata,differ only in size and show similarity in most characters at the beginning of their divergence. Other characters began to diverge later, at various rates. The gradients between planktic and benthic foraminiferal δ18O values show a continuous increase during the late Pliocene. The succession fromG. puncticulatatoG. inflataduring the same time correlates with the progressively increased vertical stratification in temperature of surface waters.Globorotalia puncticulatabecame extinct at 2.35 Ma when the temperature gradient further increased, corresponding to the onset of extensive glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere.

Download Full-text