Étude de la variabilité morphologique (aiguilles, galbules) du complexe spécifique Juniperus oxycedrus l., le Genévrier oxycèdre, au sein de sept populations d’Algérie

Abstract

Morphological variability (needles, galbulus) among seven populations of the Juniperus oxycedrus L. species-complex in Algeria. The comparative study of plant polymorphism using plant taxonomic characters is underrated in Algeria, especially for species of the genus Juniperus L. The present work has been realized in order to look out for the existence of phenotypic variability among seven natural populations of Juniperus oxycedrus L. through a descriptive and comparative analysis of the needles, galbulus and stomata. The epidermal surfaces have also been investigated in order to better characterize this species. Twenty-three quantitative and qualitative morphological characters have been studied. The observation and evaluation of macro and micro-morphological characters have been realized with binocular optical and scanning electronic microscopes. The variance analysis showed that the seven studied populations present a considerable morphological diversity at both intra-and inter-population levels for the variables needles, galbulus and stomata, while the multivariate analysis allowed to separate all the studied populations into distinct groups according to their phenotypic characters, highlighting correlations between the morphological variables and the environmental characteristics. Otherwise, micro-morphological variations have been observed for the epidermal surfaces including a variation in the stomatal density, the size of stomata, the occurrence of epicuticular wax and changes in the epidermal structure.