The effects of elevation on the morpho-anatomical and ecological traits in Cyclamen coum subsp coum Mill. populations in the central Black Sea Region of Turkey in contrasting habitats

Abstract

The differences in morpho-anatomical, ecological and biochemical traits of Cyclamen coum subsp. coum, threatened plant listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora) have been investigated in the central Black Sea region of Turkey in the context of its distribution at different altitudes. We found that shoot length, bulb width, leaf width and length, number of branches and flowers were significantly different along elevation gradient, whereas length of tubers, number of living and dead leaves, number of nodes, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf mass area (LMA) values, did not differ significantly, PCA analysis revealed that leaf length and width, the number of branches, soil organic matter content and available potassium concentration and N concentrations of above and below ground parts and reproductive effort (RE3) played significant role in differentiation of the studied populations, while several other studied factor were found not significant. The reproductive effort of individuals from the sea level was higher. We suggest that significant differences in the studied traits may indicate the ecotypic differentiation among populations.