Dt. Gerber et Dh. Les, COMPARISON OF LEAF MORPHOLOGY AMONG SUBMERSED SPECIES OP MYRIOPHYLLUM(HALORAGACEIIE) FROM DIFFERENT HABITATS AND GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTIONS, American journal of botany, 81(8), 1994, pp. 973-979
An image analysis system was used to calculate the surface area and vo
lume of the submerged leaves of seven species of Myriophyllum. We sepa
rated the species into two categories based on their distribution and
habitat differences and compared their surface area, volume, dry mass,
specific leaf area, and surface to volume ratios. The geographic loca
tion and habitat of the species explained the greatest percentage of t
otal variance for these variables when compared by analysis of varianc
e. A leaf shape analysis was performed by regressing surface area with
volume for each species. Interspecific comparisons of leaf shape were
made using analysis of covariance. Fundamental interspecific differen
ces in submerged leaf shape, associated with differences in their geog
raphic distributions and habitats, are explained as adaptations for di
fferent nutrient uptake regimes.