Directional asymmetry estimates developmental instability in plants: A case report in Plantago major L. leaves

Abstract

In the present study, an additional approach was used to evaluate the potential effects of the industrial development on natural population of the common plantain (Plantago major L.), previously estimated using si2 as an index of fluctuation asymmetry (FA) together with the coefficient of variation (CV). In this study, directional asymmetry (DA), a form of asymmetry in bilaterally symmetric traits, was used in order to estimate its rule as a potential indicator of developmental instability in leaf traits. Obtained results shows significantly higher DA values for the vein distances within a leaf (VD) on environmentally stressed area than in the control site. Reporting significantly higher values of DA for VD on the environmentally stressed sample and a positive relationship between FA and CV values obtained for the same trait within the same site, in a previous study, the study corroborates the potential of DA as an indicator of developmental perturbations.U ovom radu, koriscen je dodatni pristup u proceni potencijalnih efekata industrijskog razvitka na prirodne populacije obicne bokvice (Plantago major L.) prethodno procenjenih koriscenjem (Oi2) indeksa fluktuirajuce asimetrije (FA) i koeficijenta varijabilnosti (CV). U ovoj studiji procenjena je uloga direkcione asimetrije (DA), oblik simetrije bilateralno simetricnih karaktera, kao moguceg indikatora razvojne nestabilnosti karaktera lista. Dobijeni rezultati pokazuju znacajno vecu vrednost DA za karakter: rastojanje medju venama unutar lista (VD) na stresnom podrucju u odnosu na kontrolni lokalitet. Ukazujuci na znacajno vece vrednosti DA za VD za uzorak sa stresnog lokaliteta i pozitivan odnos izmedju vrednosti FA i CV za VD u prethodnoj studiji, ova studija ide u prilog koriscenju DA kao indikatora sredinskih poremecaja.