Effectiveness of modern leaf analysis tools for the morpho-ecological study of plants: the case of Primula albenensis Banfi et Ferl

Scientific and technological progress has led to the creation of analysis tools that have revolutionized traditional studies of morphology and plant ecology. Recent methods and tools which, on the basis of leaf samples, allow the development of geometric morphometric analyses and the evaluation of functional strategy are good examples. These methods, still little used, have never been applied on the same leaf samples to obtain information on their morphometry and on the ecology of the plants at the same time. This article discusses the effectiveness of modern leaf analysis tools for geometric morphometrics (outline analysis) and studies of functional strategies based on the competitor-stress tolerator-ruderal (CSR) scheme, using a study of a steno-endemic plant of the Alps, Primula albenensis Banfi et Ferl. as an example. These aspects were analyzed using the same leaf samples collected in the only two areas where this species grows. CSR analyses revealed that P. albenensis is not a stress-tolerant species (C:S:R = 37:1:62), as previously thought. Moreover, no significant intraspecific differences emerged as regards functional strategy. Instead, outline analysis highlighted a significant difference (p < 0.001) between the leaves collected in the two sampling areas which differ mainly in the width of the leaf blade and petiole. The results of this study and others reported in the literature therefore suggest that these modern methods of leaf analysis are cheap, effective and relatively simple to perform. Furthermore, researchers are able to carry out geometric morphometric and CSR analysis using the same samples of leaves in order to maximize the information content provided by the analysis of plant material which is sometimes not easily available.

科技进步催生了诸多分析工具，彻底革新了传统的形态学与植物生态学研究。其中，可基于叶片样本开展几何形态计量学（geometric morphometrics）分析并评估植物功能策略的新兴方法与工具，即为典型代表。但这类方法目前应用仍较有限，且尚未有研究将其应用于同一组叶片样本，以同时获取植物形态计量与生态学相关信息。本文以阿尔卑斯山区狭域特有植物阿尔本报春（Primula albenensis Banfi et Ferl.）为研究对象，探讨了现代叶片分析工具在几何形态计量学（轮廓分析（outline analysis））以及基于竞争-胁迫耐受-杂草化（competitor-stress tolerator-ruderal，CSR）对策框架的植物功能策略研究中的应用效果。本研究通过采集该物种仅有的两个自然分布区域内的叶片样本，对上述内容展开分析。经CSR对策框架分析，研究发现阿尔本报春并非如既往研究所认为的那样属于胁迫耐受型物种，其功能策略占比为C:S:R = 37:1:62。此外，该物种的功能策略未呈现显著的种内差异。与之相反，轮廓分析结果显示，两个采样区域的叶片存在极显著差异（p < 0.001），该差异主要体现为叶身宽度与叶柄宽度的不同。综上，本研究与既往文献报道的相关研究结果均表明，这类现代叶片分析方法具备成本低廉、效果显著且操作相对简便的优势。此外，研究人员可利用同一组叶片样本同时开展几何形态计量学与CSR对策分析，从而最大化利用有时难以获取的植物材料所蕴含的信息价值。