doiSerbia

Variability of needle morpho-anatomy of natural Pinus heldreichii populations from Scardo-Pindic mountains

Nikolić Biljana (Institute of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia)
Mitić Zorica (University of Niš, Faculty of Sciences and Mathematics, Department of Biology and Ecology, Niš, Serbia)
Bojović Srdjan (University of Belgrade, Institute for Biological Research “Siniša Stanković” Belgrade, Serbia)
Matevski Vlado (University “Ss. Kiril and Metodij” and Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia)
Krivošej Zoran (University of Priština, Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia)
Marin Petar D. (University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Botany and Botanical Garden “Jevremovac“, Belgrade, Serbia)

Eight morpho-anatomical properties of two-year-old needles of Pinus heldreichii (Bosnian pine) from the Scardo-Pindic mountain massif in Serbia (Kosovo, Mt. Ošljak) and North Macedonia (Mt. Galičica) were investigated. All measured characteristics, except for needle length, were inspected on mid-needle cross-section. Cross-sections were obtained with razorblade, while measurements were performed with Leica-Gallen III light microscope. The mean values of the analyzed characters were as follows: 5.91 cm (needle length), 1.35 mm (needle width), 0.85 mm (needle thickness), 25.05 μm (cuticle + epidermis thickness), 69.90 μm (height of hypodermal cells), 21.76 μm (resin duct diameter), 3.4 (number of hypodermis layers), and 3.6 (number of resin ducts). P. heldreichii needles also had 2-5 hypodermis layers and 0-12 resin ducts. The highest variation was in the number of resin ducts (CV=27%). In comparison with previously investigated needles from the Dinaric mountains, P. heldreichii needles from the Scardo-Pindic massif were shorter and had a thicker layer of hypodermis. PCA and CA visualize partial segregation of P. heldreichii populations between the two mountain massifs.

Keywords: Bosnian pine, needle morphology, needle anatomy, PCA, Cluster Analysis

Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 173029