Describing Leaf Shape Variations of Caladium varieties using Landmark-Based Geometric Morphometrics

Abstract

The interpretation of biological diversity has been greatly enriched by applying geometric morphometrics, an analytical approach that complements traditional morphological studies by providing a quantitative framework for shape analysis. Caladium, renowned for its foliage and patterns, provides a good subject for investigation. An investigation utilizing geometric morphometrics to examine intraspecific variation within Caladium, a species that has been the subject of various experiments. The importance of the intraspecific variation within Caladium opens potential implications for its ecological interactions. The main aim of this study was to describe and quantify the variation in shape within varieties of Caladium. This can help identify and analyze patterns of shape variation. An integrative approach to identify variations of the leaves of Caladium was done using landmark geometric morphometric analysis. The study utilized 540 scanned leaf images, establishing 13 putative homologous landmark points, which were analyzed in the principal component analysis (PCA), canonical variate analysis (CVA), and discriminant analysis (DA). The methods were used to test subtle differences in the leaf shapes of Caladium varieties. Findings showed that geometric morphometrics also differentiated the species significantly based on CVA with significant p values. However, the results of DA exhibited low percentage values. This notes that despite observable differences, there are still common morphological features shared among the varieties indicating the similarities of the leaf shapes of the six identified Caladium varieties. The current findings highlight the applicability of landmark analysis as a possible complement to traditional methods of species identification.