Biodiv Sci ›› 2008, Vol. 16 ›› Issue (5): 484-491.  DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1003.2008.07338

• Original Papers • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Morphological variations in natural populations ofAmygdalus ledebouriana

Zeng Bin1, Luo Shuping2,*(), Li Jiang1, Nie Wenkui2, Zhang Feng1, Li Hailong3   

  1. 1 Horticultural College of Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052
    2 Agronomy College of Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi 830052
    3 Administration Bureau of Wild-Almond Natural Protecting Area, Yumin County, Tacheng District, Xinjiang 834700
  • Received:2007-11-05 Accepted:2008-06-16 Online:2008-09-20 Published:2008-09-20
  • Contact: Luo Shuping

Abstract:

In order to investigate patterns of phenotypic trait variation in natural populations of Amygdalus ledebouriana, we measured eight morphological traits in five A. ledebouriana populations in Xinjiang. Rich phenotypic variation existed both among and within populations, and variation was greater within populations than among populations. Our UPGMA cluster analysis indicated that the five populations formed three distinct groups. We detected no relationship between geographic distance and Euclidean distance. Principal component analysis showed that shoot length/shoot width, leaf length/leaf width, mass per 1,000 seeds, seed length/seed width, and corolla diameter were the most important phenotypic traits that accounted for the morphological variation of A. ledebouriana.

Key words: Amygdalus ledebouriana, population, morphological variation