1. Leaf size and shape show contrasting relationships with evolutionary lineages in Daphne blagayana FreyerRobert Brus, Živa Fišer, Dalibor Ballian, Kristjan Jarni, 2026, original scientific article Abstract: Phenotypic variation does not always correspond closely to genetic structure within species, particularly for morphological traits that are also influenced by environmental conditions. We examined whether leaf morphology in Daphne blagayana reflects previously identified phylogeographic structures and whether size- and shape-related traits differ in the hierarchical distribution of variation. Leaf morphometric analyses were performed on 3439 leaves collected from 596 shrubs in 21 populations covering the entire distribution range of the species. Ten leaf morphological traits were analysed using nested mixed-effects models, principal component analysis (PCA), MANOVA, Mantel tests and additional conservative mixed-effects models accounting for population-level structure. Leaf size-related traits showed stronger population-level differentiation and clearer geographic structuring, whereas shape-related traits exhibited higher within-shrub variation and weaker correspondence with phylogeographic structure. PCA and MANOVA revealed significant morphological differentiation among the three previously defined evolutionarily significant units (ESUs), although overlap among groups remained considerable. When population-level structure was taken into account, ESU effects were reduced but remained detectable for leaf length and selected shape-related traits. The northwestern ESU was characterized by larger and broader leaves, while differences between the central–southeastern and central ESUs were associated mainly with leaf shape traits. Mantel analysis revealed a weak but significant correlation between geographic and morphological distances among populations, indicating that geographic distance contributes to, but does not fully explain, morphological differentiation. The results show that leaf morphology in D. blagayana is associated with the previously identified phylogeographic structure of the species and that size- and shape-related traits differ markedly in their degree of geographic differentiation and hierarchical variation. However, because phylogeographic and geographic structure are spatially confounded in the present dataset, their individual effects on leaf morphology cannot be statistically separated. The study also highlights the importance of hierarchical sampling, appropriate statistical analyses, and cautious interpretation of genotype–phenotype correspondence in observational studies of intraspecific morphological variation.
Keywords: leaf morphology, leaf morphometrics, phylogeographic structure, population differentiation, evolutionarily significant units, intraspecific variation
Published in RUP: 13.08.2026; Views: 64; Downloads: 4
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2. Growth, morphology and reproductive phenology of Gelidium adriaticum (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) from the Slovenian coast (Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic)Claudio Battelli, Peter Glasnović, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: The occurrence, growth, external morphology and reproductive phenology of a Gelidium adriaticum settlement from the midlittoral zone in St. Simon Bay (Slovenian coast, Gulf of Trieste, northern Adriatic Sea) were investigated. The study was based on monthly sampling conducted for one year, from January to December 2023. The studied settlement was well developed in shaded rock crevices, forming dense turfs with a very patchy and irregular distribution. It was character-ized by a slight predominance of tetrasporic thalli, with a ratio between the three reproductive stages (tetrasporic:sterile:cystocarpic) of 1.19:1.04:1.00. The mean values of the morphological characteristics studied (height and width of the thallus, width of the widest part of the thallus axis, width of the apical, middle and basal parts of the erect axes) varied between seasons and reproductive stages. In general, these values were lower in the cystocarpic thalli than those in the tetrasporic and sterile stages in all seasons.
Keywords: Gelidium adriaticum, midlittoral, growth, morphology, reproductive phenology, Slovenian coast, northern Adriatic
Published in RUP: 15.09.2025; Views: 1381; Downloads: 6
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3. Sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in eight Balkan countries : historical review and region-wide entomological surveyVít Dvořák, Ozge E. Kasap, Vladimir Ivović, Ognyan Mikov, Jovana Stefanovska, F. Martinković, Jasmin Omeragić, Igor Pajović, Devrim Baymak, G. Oguz, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: Phlebotomine, sand fly, Balkans, species, morphology
Published in RUP: 24.12.2020; Views: 3505; Downloads: 38
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6. Biometric properties of axillary sea bream, Pagellus acarne (Osteichthyes: Sparidae), from the eastern Adriatic SeaBranko Dragičević, Jakov Dulčić, Robert Grgičević, 2012, other scientific articles Keywords: Pagellus acarne, Sparidae, biometry, morphology, Adriatic Sea
Published in RUP: 21.12.2015; Views: 5387; Downloads: 11
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8. First record of the zebra goby, Zebrus zebrus (pisces: gobiidae), in the Ionian SeaMarcelo Kovačić, Simona Bussotti, Paolo Guidetti, 2005, other scientific articles Keywords: Zebrus zebrus, first record, morphology, ecology, Ionian Sea
Published in RUP: 10.07.2015; Views: 4485; Downloads: 31
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9. Ecology and eye morphology in Bubopsis agrionoides, Puer maculatus and Deleproctophylla dusmeti (Neuroptera, Ascalaphidae)Bruno Michel, Karl Kral, 2008, original scientific article Keywords: owl-flies, Deleproctophylla dusmeti, Bubopsis agrionoides, Puer maculatus, France, ecology, eye morphology
Published in RUP: 10.07.2015; Views: 4230; Downloads: 41
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10. The phylogeny of Mallotus s.str. (Euphorbiaceae) inferred from DNA sequence and morphological dataSoraya Elizabeth Catalina Sierra, K.K.M. Kulju, Živa Fišer, M. Aparicio, P. C. van Welzen, 2010, original scientific article Keywords: DNA sequence data, Euphorbiaceae, leaf anatomy, Mallotus, morphology, phylogenetics, quantitative characters, Rottlerinae
Published in RUP: 15.10.2013; Views: 5615; Downloads: 156
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