https://unilib.phaidrabg.rs/o:8876 doi:10.15177/seefor.25-12 ISSN: 1847-6481 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode South-east European Forestry (SEEFOR) volume: 16 number: 2 startpage: 145 endpage: 153 Keywords: samara traits; sycamore maple; variability; climatic factors; principal component analyses; cluster analysis Population-Level Variability in the Morphology of Acer pseudoplatanus Samara info:eu-repo/semantics/article Popović, Vladan Jovanović, Sanja Vemić, Aleksandar Lučić, Aleksandar Rakonjac, Ljubinko Filipović, Biljana Miljković, Danijela Abstract: Population-specific variation in the sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) samara characteristics was examined to understand how geographic and environmental factors shape the samara’s weight and morphology. Variability of samaras of six sycamore maple populations from different regions of Serbia, differing in elevation (from 1530 to 490 m.a.s.l.), mean annual precipitation and temperature, was analysed based on samara traits describing samara weight and length, and wing length and width. The significant differences between the populations' mean values for the analysed A. pseudoplatanus samara traits were determined using the post hoc Sheffé's test results. The samara weight was the highest in the Kopaonik population compared to Južni Kučaj, the population at the lowest elevation with the highest temperature and minimal precipitation throughout the year. The highest values for all samara traits were observed in the Kopaonik population. The wing length was smallest in the Golija population (1530 m.a.s.l., low temperature) and the Rogozna population (770 m.a.s.l., high temperature), with similar precipitation levels. The ANOVA results suggest that environmental and genetic factors influence samara weight and morphologya. According to the results of multivariate analyses, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (ACH), ecological factors such as elevation and mean annual precipitation significantly influence the variation in samara traits among A. pseudoplatanus populations, with distinct patterns observed in weight and morphology across different localities. The observed variation in samara weight and morphology reflects the adaptation of A. pseudoplatanus populations to local environmental conditions. Further research is needed to investigate the adaptive significance of these traits, particularly in relation to seed dispersal strategies and their influence on forest dynamics. Croatian Forest Research Institute (Croatia); University of Banja Luka, Faculty of Forestry (BIH); University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Forestry (BIH); University of Novi Sad, Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment (Serbia); University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry (Serbia); Institute of Forestry (Serbia); Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Hans Em Faculty of Forest Sciences, Landscape Architecture and Environmental Engineering (Macedonia) 2025 application/pdf 911028 bytes