ALLOMETRY AND GEOMETRY OF BEGONIA LEAVES

The authors constructed an algorithm that relates leaf contour to the ratio between the two parts of the leaf using the function theta' = n theta(m), where m is the allometric exponent. Using this model, it is possible to simulate the contour of symmetrical or asymmetrical leaves . The authors hypothesize that the portion of the leaf contour that ag rees with the simulation is linked to a constraint imposed by the init ial asymmetry of the leaf primordium. The final shape of the leaf resu lts mote from a summation of cumulative processes through time than fr om a single process. In the analysis of foliar allometry, it is import ant to take into consideration the different phases of leaf developmen t, since the nature of the allometric constants may change from one ph ase to the next, even though their numerical value may remain the same .