Data and scripts from: Analyzing ontogenetic changes in Cupressaceae seed cone size

Ontogenetic shape change has long been recognized to be important in generating patterns of morphological diversity and may be especially important in plant reproductive structures. We explore how seed cone disparity in Cupressaceae changes over ontogeny by comparing pollination-stage and mature cones.

We sampled cones at pollen release and seed release and measured cone scales using basic morphometric shape variables. We used multivariate statistical methods, particularly hypervolume overlap calculations, to measure morphospace occupation and disparity.

Cone scales at both pollination and maturity exhibit substantial variability, although disparity is greater at maturity. Mature cone scales are also more clustered in trait space, showing less overlap with other taxa than at pollination. These patterns reflect two growth strategies that generate closed cones over maturation, either through thin laminar scales or relatively thick, peltate scales, resulting in two distinct regions of morphospace occupation.   

Disparity patterns in Cupressaceae seed cones change over development as cone scales grow to meet shifting functional demands. For seed plants generally, the evolution of reproductive disparity represents the evolution of entire trajectories of ontogenetic shape change.