Scaling analyses and morphometrics of <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> seeds
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This study establishes the scaling relationships of the <i>Ginkgo biloba</i> sclerotesta and its contents (denoted henceforth as “seed”) using 1,225 samples from four trees. The scaling exponent of seed volume (<i>V</i>) vs. the volume of a hypothetical triaxial ellipsoid (defined by semi-axes equivalent to half the seed length, width, and thickness; denoted as <i>V</i><sub>E</sub>) was 1.0028 (95% confidence interval: 0.9837 − 1.0220), indicating isometric scaling. In contrast, the scaling exponent of <i>V</i> vs. seed fresh mass (<i>M</i>) was 1.0455 (95% confidence interval: 1.0294 − 1.0626), indicating allometric scaling. When seeds were grouped by the ellipsoid index (EI = <i>V</i>/<i>V</i><sub>E</sub>), the scaling exponent of <i>V</i> vs. <i>M</i> decreased from values significantly greater than one to values less than one as EI increased. This progression indicated that increases in <i>V</i> slightly outpace increases in <i>M</i> associated with small EI values, whereas increases in <i>V</i> do not keep pace with increases in <i>M</i> across large EI values. Seeds exhibited consistent geometric asymmetry, with a mean thickness-to-width ratio of 0.82, indicating that they are not solids of revolution. The isometry in <i>V</i> vs. <i>V</i><sub>E</sub> and the systematic shift in <i>V</i> vs. <i>M</i> scaling across shape groups indicate a coordinated system for physical space and biomass allocation. Significant morphometric differences were found among seeds when they were grouped by their EI values. This work provides a quantitative framework for understanding resource partitioning in an ancient gymnosperm, applicable to other seeds with approximately ellipsoidal or non-rotational symmetry.
