Local Population Differentiation
in Trifolium alexandinum L.
in Response to Various Disturbance Regimes
Abstract:
Local population differentiation
was studied in twenty populations of Trifolium alexandrinum L. Ten population were sampled from undisturbed
sites while the other ten were collected from a variety of disturbed
habitats. Each individual plant was regarded as genet and was analyzed
for various biometric traits by taking consistent measurements for all
characteristics. The biometric analyses revealed considerable phenotypic
variability for a majority of morphological expressions. A significant
differentiation between populations was found in response to local habitat
conditions. This study suggested that phenotypic differentiation in
T. alxandrinum was strongly influenced
by environmental disturbance. Therefore, disturbance seems to play a
major role in the generation of variation. The occurrence of phenotypic
modification in response to environment was regarded as phenotypic plasticity
and it appeared to be an important feature of adaptation to environmental
fluctuation. This study concluded that the persistence of the species
in spatially and temporally disturbed habitats presumably depends on
the variability of certain morphological expressions.
How to cite this article
Seema Mahmood and Asad Abbas, 2003. Local Population Differentiation
in Trifolium alexandinum L.
in Response to Various Disturbance Regimes. Journal of Biological Sciences, 3: 773-781.
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