Herbarium specimens reveal links between leaf shape of Capsella bursa-pastoris and climate.

ABSTRACT:

Premise

Studies into the evolution and development of leaf shape have connected variation in plant form, function, and fitness. For species with consistent leaf margin features, patterns in leaf architecture are related to both biotic and abiotic factors. However, for species with inconsistent leaf shapes, quantifying variation in leaf shape and the effects of environmental factors on leaf shape has proven challenging.

Methods

To investigate leaf shape variation in a species with inconsistently shaped leaves, we used geometric morphometric modeling and deterministic techniques to analyze approximately 500 digitized specimens of Capsella bursa-pastoris collected throughout the continental United States over 100 years. We generated a morphospace of the leaf shapes and modeled

SUBMITTER: Hightower AT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11584044 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature