Variability Of Morphometric Characteristics Research Articles

Variability of morphometric traits of seeds of different genotypes of Lycium spp.

Purpose. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological parameters of Lycium spp. seeds from the collections in M. M. Hryshko National Botanical Garden (NBS) NAS of Ukraine. Methods. Cultivars and varieties of three Lycium species (Lycium barbarum, L. chinense, L. truncatum) were studied in the period from 2016 till 2019. The following morphometric measurments were conducted: seeds weight, seeds length, seeds width and index of seeds shape. Basic statistical analyses were performed using PAST 2.17. Hierarchical cluster analyses of similarity between genotypes were computed on the basis of the Bray-Curtis similarity index. Correlation between traits was determined using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results. Cultivars and varieties of different species of Lycium varied in weight, shape, and size of seeds. Seed weight varied from 0.54 to 3.54 mg, seed length from 1.90 to 3.06 mm, seed width from 1.43 to 2.53 mm. The shape indexes of seeds were found ranging from 0.73 to 0.80. The analysis of coefficient of variation showed the difference of variability in morphometric characteristics between some Lycium spp. cultivars and varieties. The most variable features: seeds weight (8.51–28.22%) and seeds length (5.07–24.81%) are important parameters for selection. The use of cluster analysis made it possible to establish the similarity between the species of the studied Lycium species. Conclusions. Diagnostic signs by seed morphometry for differentiation of Lycium species were revealed. The analysis of coefficient of variation showed the difference of variability in morphometric characteristics between some Lycium cultivars and varieties. The most variable characteristics of the studied genotypes were seed weight and length, which are important parameters for selection because they determine the pulp content and number of seeds, as well as the ratio of these parameters between them. It is through variability that promising varieties with low seed weight and length can be selected, Due to securing them later vegetatively.

Quality variation of fruits of species of the genus Lycium in Ukraine: A comparative morphological analysis

Goji berries (Lycium L.) have been an important element of traditional Chinese medicine for centuries due to their health-promoting properties and chemical composition, and they deserve the term “superfruit”. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological parameters of Lycium (L. barbarum L., L. chinense Mill. and L. truncatum Y. C. Wang) fruits for 21 cultivars and varieties from the collections in the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv). Cultivars and varieties differed by weight, shape, and size of fruits. Their morphometric parameters were the following: fruit weight from 0.44 (L. truncatum cv. Princess Tao) to 1.08 (L. chinense cv. Tybet) g, fruit length from 10.41 (L. chinense cv. Delikat) to 22.84 (L. truncatum cv. Super Sweet) mm, fruit diameter from 7.16 (L. truncatum cv. Princess Tao) to 13.48 (L. chinense cv. Delikat) mm, number of seeds in fruit from 1.0 to 49.0. The shape indexes of fruits were found ranging from 0.78 (L. chinense cv. Delikat) to 2.56 (L. truncatum cv. New Big). The analysis of coefficient of variation showed the difference of variability in morphometric characteristics between Lycium spp. cultivars and varieties. The most variable features are fruit weight (11.4–37.1%) and number of seeds in fruits (9.7–60.8%), which are important parameters for selection that indicates about potential success of selection. Using the cluster analysis with the Bray-Curtis similarity index allowed us to establish the relationships among the fruits Lycium spp. germplasm and arrange the cultivars and varieties into three relatively main clusters. Plants of the genus Lycium, due to the growing importance as functional food, require systematic research work. In cases of food use, large fruit size is important. In the results of our research on L. barbarum, L. chinense and L. truncatum, in terms of fruit sizes the following cultivars and varieties stand out : LB02, LC Amber Sweet and LT Super Sweet. The collected varieties can be the basis for obtaining new cultivars distinguished by the size of crops and their quality.

Variability of morphometric characteristics of Betula pendula lamina under technogenic conditions of Dnipro city

The response of a plant organism to the effects of negative environmental factors, including the effects of multicomponent pollution, can be determined using a morphometric approach, setting the range of variability of biometric indicators of assimilation organs. The obtained data allow us to identify the directions of evolution of leaf shape and parameters under conditions of anthropogenic environment. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the variability of morphometric characteristics of lamina of Вetula pendula Roth. under technogenic conditions of the city of Dnipro. Leaf samples were collected in September – October 2018 at five test areas in the city of Dnipro (100 sheets each), which differed in the level of environmental pollution. For each leaf according to the method, five dimensions were measured on the left and right sides: width of the left and right halves of the leaf; the length of the vein of the second order, the second from the base of the leaf; the distance between the bases of the first and second veins of the second order; the distance between the ends of the first and second veins of the second order; the angle between the main vein and the second vein from the base of the leaf of the second order. It is shown that by the degree of increase of variation in the conditions of influence on the plants of B. pendula under conditions of multicomponent contamination of the environment the investigated signs of the lamina can be arranged as follows: 5 < 2 < 1 < 4 < 3. It is established that the most stable feature of the B. pendula lamina in the conditions of technogenesis is the angle between the main vein and the second vein from the base of the leaf of the second order, and the most variable one is the distance between the bases of the first and second veins of the second order. A tendency was found for the differences in the reactions of plants from the relatively clean area and contaminated territories: the control trees had a coefficient of variation higher for the right half of the leaf (right-sided asymmetry), whereas plants of the technogenic zones had left-sided asymmetry.

Morphological Variability of the Spotted Lumpsucker Eumicrotremus pacificus (Cottoidei, Cyclopteridae)

The variability of morphometric characteristics, the structure of the seismosensory system and the external skeleton in females and nonspawning and spawning males of the spotted lumpsucker Eumicrotremus pacificus were studied. Females differed from males in their greater anteanal distance and stability of the structure of the external skeleton throughout the adult period of life. Spawning males are characterized by a significant change in a number of plastic characters and the structure of their external skeleton, apparently related to the features of the spawning biology of the Eumicrotremus species. No noticeable variability was revealed in the structure of the axial skeleton, the skeleton of unpaired fins, and the seismosensory system of the head of E. pacificus. Using the characters of external morphology and the external skeleton of females and nonspawning males in the systematics of the lumpfishes was confirmed as valid.

Size-At-Age Variability and Sexual Dimorphism of Morphometric Characteristics in the Late Ontogenesis of the Marsh Frog, Pelophylax Ridibundus (Anura, Ranidae), from Terrytory of Crimea

Abstract We study size-at-age and sexual variability of morphometric characteristics of the marsh frog. According to the size of the body, males were divided into three size-age groups (juvenis, subadultus, adultus), females — into four groups (juvenis, subadultus, adultus, adultus-I). We found that the chronological age of frogs (skeletochronology) does not always correspond to their biological age (size and proportions of the body). We noted that the semi-adult males are reliably larger than females by mean values of 26 studied morphometric characters. Males and females of “adultus” group do not differ by linear body size, significant differences were found in body proportions (7 characters). For the females of “adultus-I” group, the mean values of 26 characters are significantly larger than for “adultus” males. The results of our study showed that with the age of the marsh frog, the level of exhibition, directionality and structure of morphometric sex differences changes.

Изменчивость морфометрических признаков цветков и соцветий Syringa vulgaris L. в условиях среды с различным уровнем техногенной нагрузки

Изменчивость морфометрических признаков цветков и соцветий Syringa vulgaris L. в условиях среды с различным уровнем техногенной нагрузки

Variation of fruits morphometric parameters of Elaeagnus multiflora thunb. germplasm collection

The aim of this study was to determine morphometric parameters of fruits within some genotypes of Elaeagnus multiflora Thunb., which are growing in the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine in M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine (NBG). Their morphometric parameters were following: fruit weight from 0.32 to 1.89 g, fruit length from 7.60 to 19.54 mm, fruit diameter from 4.39 to 10.32 mm, seed weight from 0.10 to 0.41 g, seed length from 7.40 to 13.30 mm, seed diameter from 1.34 to 5.07 mm. The shape indexes of fruits and seeds were found ranging from 1.25 to 1.56 and from 2.90 to 4.04, respectively. The analysis of coefficient of variation showed the difference of variability in morphometric characteristics between Elaeagnus multiflora samples. Data showed that the most variability of important selection characteristics is the average cumulative seeds weight - from 18.72 to 36.61%, seeds diameter - from 10.46 to 24.29%, fruits weight - from 9.15 to 22.24%. The other characteristics are more or less stable. Collected quantitative data were subjected to principal hierarchical cluster analysis. The cluster analysis of morphometric parameters exhibited that the Elaeagnus multiflora genotypes fell into two clusters. These cluster analysis results suggest that broad morphologic diversity was found in Elaeagnus multiflora genotypes examined in this study. The introduction population of the Elaeagnus multiflora, was created in the M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden in Kyiv, has a sufficient potential for successful selection work. These preliminary results could open the interest of farmers in this Elaeagnus multiflora and will be precedent for future domestication and introduction of the species in the agroproductive system in Ukraine and the rest of the world.

Variability of morphometric characteristics of the leaves of European white elm from the area of Great War Island

The European White Elm (Ulmus effusa Willd.) is indicated as a rare and endangered species in the growing stock of the Republic of Serbia. In the area of Great War Island, its natural populations were reduced to 56 registered trees, which occur in three spatially isolated subpopulations. On the basis of the research conducted on the level of variability of adaptible morphometric characteristics of leaves from 14 selected test trees of European White Elm, it can be concluded that the degree of interpopulation variability is satisfactory, which is a good basis for the conservation of the available gene pool.

Defining population spatial units: Simultaneous analysis of frequency distributions and time series

A critical aspect of the assessment of population status is identification of areas containing independent populations. When direct measures of population structure are not available, analysis of indirect indicators, such as spatial variability in morphometric characteristics and in times series of abundance, can provide useful information. We present a tree-based approach for simultaneous analysis of large-scale spatial pattern in these two data types. The approach is illustrated with length-frequency and catch-per-unit-effort data for bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) from the Japanese longline fishery in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The resulting spatial strata demonstrate the ability of this method to find similar structure in the two data types by utilizing information on competitor splits. The types of strata that can be identified by this method may be useful for developing stratified sampling plans, as well as for defining management units. Although our application is focused on population management, this approach could be applied to any system for which data describing the system dynamics are available in the form of frequencies of characteristics and time series of relative quantities.

Investigations of variability of morphometric characteristics in Busa and Gatacko cattle in order to preserve autochthonous genome

With the objective of studying and protecting genomes of autochthonous breeds of cattle, investigations were performed of the variability of morphometric characteristics of the autochthonous breeds Busa and Gatacko cattle, as well as a retrospective analysis of the development of the examined populations. The investigations covered 97 cows, specifically 22 head of western Herzegovina Busa cattle, 24 head of eastern Herzegovina Busa cattle, and 51 head of Gatacko cattle. Morphometric measurements were examined: height at withers, body length, foot circumference, and chest girth. The obtained data were processed statistically, and variability was established using simple variance analysis with an unequal number of repetitions. The significance of the obtained differences from the three investigated localities was tested using the F test and t-test. A significant degree of variability was established for the morphological characteristics within the examined populations, as well as between the populations. The established differences are primarily a result of the influence of different natural conditions and breeding conditions, as well as the genome share of Alpine cattle, with which the Busa has been crossbred.

Can Iberian Water Rail Rallus aquaticus be sexed reliably using simple morphometrics?

In this paper we classified the sex of 39 Iberian Water Rails Rallus aquaticus using external morphometric measurements and genetic analysis. Logistic regression and classification tree model techniques (CART) were used to test whether simple morphometric measurements alone could classify sex correctly. For most of these measurements the overlap between sexes was too great to be of value. Bill length was the most relevant variable according to all the statistical analyses for the population under study. The applied combination of statistical techniques on biometric and genetic data correctly classify 80% of individuals. However, in view of the apparent variability in morphometric characteristics between populations, morphometric techniques to sex individuals from other populations should be validated using other criteria.