Morphological and Morphometric Characterization of Lycopodiaceae Spores from the Białowieża Primeval Forest Ecosystem (NE Poland)
2025
Konrad Wilamowski | Monika Puchlik | Tomasz Pawłowicz | Tomasz Oszako
Spores offer the most accessible diagnostic characters for the early-divergent Lycopodiaceae. We quantified eight morphometric traits&mdash:equivalent diameter, polar length, equatorial width, projected area, perimeter, and aspect ratio&mdash:in a balanced sample of 50 spores from each of six Central European taxa (Diphasiastrum alpinum, D. tristachyum, D. complanatum, Lycopodium annotinum, L. clavatum, and Huperzia selago) collected in the Biał:owież:a Primeval Forest. Integrated light-microscope and scanning-electron-microscope imaging revealed three discrete wall-ornamentation syndromes (reticulate, verrucate, and granulose) that parallel the quantitative gradients. Principal component analysis showed that a single, collinear size axis accounts for 79% of variance, situating H. selago at the large-diameter extreme (mean: 37&mu:m) and the three Diphasiastrum species at the small-diameter pole (mean: 32&ndash:33&mu:m). One-way ANOVA (p<:10&minus:31) and PERMANOVA (R2=0.52) confirmed decisive interspecific separation that mirrors published molecular phylogenies, underscoring a strong phylogenetic signal in spore form. While trait baselines are taxonomically stable, moderate microhabitat-driven shifts indicate limited ecophenotypic plasticity. The resulting high-resolution benchmark refines palynological identification, enables rapid spore-based bioindication of demographic stress, and strengthens conservation monitoring in relic temperate forest ecosystems.
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