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Leaf features of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). Variability within and between two populations (uncontaminated vs Pb-contaminated and Zn-contaminated site)

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Abstract

Fourteen morphometric variables of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) leaves from two sites in the Upper Silesia province were analyzed to establish the pattern of intrapopulational and interpopulational relations. The leaves were collected from ten trees growing on a zinc–lead dump as well as from ten trees in the unpolluted area of Mirów within the same bioclimatic region. Leaf samples were collected from the trees during the vegetative seasons 1999 and 2000. The size and shape of leaves were studied using standard biometric methods. Cluster analysis indicated overall differences between the populations. Both populations differed with respect to almost all the morphometric variables (P<0.05). Most variables of the leaves, collected from single trees (or combined as a total) on the zinc–lead dump showed more variability than those from the unpolluted site. Discriminant function analysis confirmed the angle of the leaf base as the most important variable in the evaluation of interpopulational variability of leaves.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank L. Franiel for his assistance in fieldwork. Prof. St Cabała and Dr. P. Skubała provided helpful comments on the manuscript and Dr P. Olejniczak corrected our English.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, University of Silesia, Bankowa 9, 40-007, Katowice, Poland

    Izabella Franiel

  2. Department of Fish Biology, Agricultural University of Szczecin, Królewicza 4, 70-550, Szczecin, Poland

    Kazimierz Więski

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  1. Izabella Franiel
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  2. Kazimierz Więski
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Correspondence to Izabella Franiel.

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Franiel, I., Więski, K. Leaf features of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth). Variability within and between two populations (uncontaminated vs Pb-contaminated and Zn-contaminated site). Trees 19, 81–88 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-004-0366-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-004-0366-3

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