Abstract

GALVAN-HERNANDEZ, Dulce Ma. et al. Altitudinal gradient effect on morphometric variation and leaf symmetry of Platanus mexicana Moric. Rev. Chapingo ser. cienc. for. ambient [online]. 2015, vol.21, n.2, pp.171-183. ISSN 2007-4018.  https://doi.org/10.5154/r.rchscfa.2014.08.034.

Morphometric variation and leaf symmetry was characterized in a population of Platanus mexicana along a riparian altitudinal gradient in Veracruz. A total of eight morphometric characters were evaluated in 1,800 leaves from 15 trees per site, collected at 70, 200,600 and 1,700 m. Morphometric differences among sites (F_{(24, 5189)} = 21.1, P < 0.05) were determined using a discriminant function analysis. Characters related to length and width of leaves showed significant intrapopulation differences (P ≤ 0.05). Based on Mahalanobis distances, the site located at 70 m is the most distant morphometrically. Cluster analysis showed ten different leaf groups along the altitudinal gradient. Differences in leaf size were observed, the leaves are larger at 70 m and decrease with altitude. The index of leaf symmetry of P. mexicana showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) among sites in the altitudinal gradient of the Colipa river. The results determine the responsiveness of P. mexicana to the environmental heterogeneity along the altitudinal gradient of the Colipa river.

Keywords : Leaf differentiation; phenotypic plasticity; leaf groups; morphological adaptation.

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