engleski

Classification of Iris Populations Inferred by Fruit and Seed Morphology Points at Interesting Diversification Pattern

The aim of this work was to classify the iris populations into groups based on fruit and seed characters in order to examine their geographical structuring and speciation processes indicated by previous research. The material was collected on 16 sites along the Croatian coast, of which 11 associated to I. illyrica Tomm. and 5 to I. pseudopallida Trinajstic. Eight seed and 4 fruit characters were chosen for their diagnostic value. MANOVA showed that examined characters could differentiate the species as currently described. Classification (clustering and discriminant analysis) placed populations into 2 distinct zones: the northern part of I. illyrica areal (north coast) and the southern part of I. pseudopallida areal (south coast), while the central transient zone is represented by populations from neighbouring regions of both areals. Correlation between two types of distances showed that the distance between plants based on morphological characters is to the most extent function of their geographical distance, regardless of the species affiliation. The results show the need for further study of evolutionary processes and relationships of irises in Croatia.

iris; morphology; Croatia

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