Reproductive aspects in Ipomoea asarifolia (Desr.) Roem. & Schult. (Convolvulaceae) occurring in antropized caatinga area

Abstract

Morphometry is a mechanism used to measure the differences among species from the study of the relationship between size and shape, creating comparative references, and allowing proper identification. The morphometric study aims to characterize different morphological types of an organism which, in turn, may present disproportionate growth, giving rise to a nonlinear relationship between these characteristics. This study aimed to analyze and describe possible reproductive variations in individuals of Ipomoea asarifolia, where floral structures were measured with the aid of a manual caliper, ruler and tapes, as well as equivalent photographs for laboratory morphometric evaluation. The results revealed that the species presented morphological attributes of monomorphism, with only one type of floral morph being verified in the population, the condition of brevistyly. The study demonstrates the importance of research to understand the variation of floral morphs within a population, even if it is in an anthropized area because, even if subtle, changes can alter the entire reproductive system.

Keywords

• Variações de morfos, biologia floral, salsa-brava