| Literature DB >> 28725360 |
Shuyan Lin1, Li Zhang1, Gadi V P Reddy2, Cang Hui3,4, Johan Gielis5, Yulong Ding1, Peijian Shi1.
Abstract
The size and shape of plant leaves change with growth, and an accurate description of leaf shape is crucial for describing plant morphogenesis and development. Bilateral symmetry, which has been widely observed but poorly examined, occurs in both dicot and monocot leaves, including all nominated bamboo species (approximately 1,300 species), of which at least 500 are found in China. Although there are apparent differences in leaf size among bamboo species due to genetic and environmental profiles, bamboo leaves have bilateral symmetry with parallel venation and appear similar across species. Here, we investigate whether the shape of bamboo leaves can be accurately described by a simplified Gielis equation, which consists of only two parameters (leaf length and shape) and produces a perfect bilateral shape. To test the applicability of this equation and the occurrence of bilateral symmetry, we first measured the leaf length of 42 bamboo species, examining >500 leaves per species. We then scanned 30 leaves per species that had approximately the same length as the median leaf length for that species. The leaf-shape data from scanned profiles were fitted to the simplified Gielis equation. Results confirmed that the equation fits the leaf-shape data extremely well, with the coefficients of determination being 0.995 on average. We further demonstrated the bilateral symmetry of bamboo leaves, with a clearly defined leaf-shape parameter of all 42 bamboo species investigated ranging from 0.02 to 0.1. This results in a simple and reliable tool for precise determination of bamboo species, with applications in forestry, ecology, and taxonomy.Entities:
Keywords: bamboo; bilateral symmetry; goodness of fit; leaf‐shape parameter; polar coordinate
Year: 2016 PMID: 28725360 PMCID: PMC5513222 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2407
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Ecol Evol ISSN: 2045-7758 Impact factor: 2.912
Figure 1Leaf shape produced by the simplified Gielis equation
Figure 2Comparison of leaf lengths for 42 bamboo species
Figure 3Scanned leaf images of six bamboo species. S36: Pleioblastus yixingensis; S1: Bambusa emeiensis var. viridiflavus; S10: Indosasa shibataeoides; S17: Phyllostachys bissetii: S19: Phyllostachys edulis; and S22: Phyllostachys edulis “Gracilis”
Figure 4Comparison between scanned leaf profile (gray line) and predicted leaf profile (red line) from the simplified Gielis equation. (A) Pleioblastus yixingensis; (B) Bambusa emeiensis var. viridiflavus; (C) Indosasa shibataeoides; (D) Phyllostachys bissetii; (E) Phyllostachys edulis; (F) Phyllostachys edulis “Gracilis”
Figure 5Coefficients of determination for fitting the leaf shapes of 42 bamboo species to the simplified Gielis equation
Figure 6Comparison between the real and predicted leaf areas estimated from the simplified Gielis equation. The red straight line represents y = x, the small open circles are made up of the actual leaf areas and the predicted leaf areas
Figure 7Comparison of the estimated leaf‐shape parameters for 42 bamboo species