PHENOTYPIC VARIATION AND LEAF FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF PARROTIA PERSICA (HAMAMELIDACEAE), AN ENDEMIC SPECIES FROM THE HYRCANIAN

Acta Botanica Mexicana 97: 65-81 (2011)

PHENOTYPIC VARIATION AND LEAF FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY IN NATURAL POPULATIONS OF PARROTIA PERSICA (HAMAMELIDACEAE), AN ENDEMIC SPECIES FROM THE HYRCANIAN FOREST (IRAN)

Ali Sattarian¹, Mohammad Reza Akbarian², Mehrdad Zarafshar^3,6,

Piero Bruschi⁴, Payam Fayyaz⁵

¹Gonbad-Kavoos University, Department of Forestry, Golestan, Iran.

^{2, 3}Tarbiat Modares University, Natural Resources Faculty,

Department of Forestry, Noor, Mazandran, Iran.

⁴University of Florence, Department of Agriculture Biotechnology,

Section of Environmental and Applied Botany, Florence, Italy.

⁵University of Yasouj, Faculty of Agriculture and Institute of Natural Research

and Environment, Department of Forestry, Yasouj, Iran.

⁶Corresponding author: Mehrdadzarafshar@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Phenotypic variation in four natural populations of Parrotia persica (Hamamelidaceae), a species considered a living fossil endemic to the Hyrcanian forest, was evaluated through leaf morphometric and multivariate analysis. Furthermore, plasticity and leaf fluctuating asymmetry (LFA) were studied. Our findings clearly displayed significant divergence among sites. The smallest lamina size, the highest plasticity, and the lowest LFA values were recorded in the eastern and more xeric sites (Ghorogh and Daland), thus it seems these sites endure a larger environmental stress. Although our findings showed that multivariate and leaf morphometric analyses are suitable instruments to detect levels of phenotypic variability among P. persica natural populations, further study of allozyme and DNA diversity is necessary.

Key words: leaf morphometrics, multivariate analysis, natural populations, plasticity.

RESUMEN

Se evaluó la variación fenotípica en cuatro poblaciones naturales de Parrotia persica (Hamamelidaceae), una especie endémica considerada como un fósil viviente del bosque hircaniano, a través de un análisis morfométrico y multivariado de las hojas. Asimismo, se estudiaron la plasticidad y la asimetría foliar fluctuante (AFF). Nuestros hallazgos mostraron claramente una divergencia significativa entre sitios. El tamaño más pequeño de la lámina foliar, la plasticidad más grande y los valores más pequeños de AFF fueron registrados en los sitios más xéricos de la parte oriental (Ghorogh y Daland), por lo que parece que estos sitios están sujetos a un mayor estrés ambiental. Obtuvimos resultados interesantes, pero hace falta realizar nuevos estudios de la diversidad de aloenzimas y ADN.

Palabras clave: análisis multivariado, morfometría foliar, plasticidad, poblaciones naturales.