leaf morphological features

Morphological Variability and Biochemical Indices of Leaves in Coenopopulations of Aegopodium podagraria L. (Apiаceae, Apiales) under Various Levels of Soil Pollution with Heavy Metals

The morphological variability, lipid peroxidation rate (LPR) and photosynthetic pigment content in the leaves of Aegopodium podagraria L. were studied in four coenopopulations growing in urban ecosystems whose soils were contaminated, to varying degrees, with heavy metals (HM): Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr. The increase of the HM level in the soil induced a decrease in the terminal leaflet size, the average number of phens (i.e. various variants of the leaf shape), and the chlorophyll content b in leaves but the percentage of rare phens increased.