OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences Original Research Paper The Relationship between Habitat Altitude, Enviromental Factors and Morphological Characteristics of Pluchea Indica, Ageratum Conyzoides and Elephantopus Scaber 1,2 Yuliani, 3Soemarno, 1Bagyo Yanuwiadi and 1Amin Setyo Leksono 1Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia 2Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Surabaya State University, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia 3Faculty of Agriculture, University of Brawijaya, Malang, East Java, Indonesia Article history Abstract: Asteraceae family has various benefit as herbal medicine and Received: 11-05-2015 phytochemical affect (biopesticides). It can grow in different habitats but Revised: 4-06-2014 the morphological and physiological characters of Asteraceae depend on Accepted: 15-07-2015 the environmental factor. The aims of the study is to describe the variation of height of stems and width of leaves from three species of Asteraceae Correspondence Author: family ( Pluchea indica, Ageratum conyzoides and Elephantopus scaber), Yuliani on three types of habitat which differed by its altitude and learn the Department of Biology, Faculty correlation between altitude and morphological characteristics of of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Surabaya State Asteraceae. Samples of Asteraceae were obtained from Bangkalan-Madura University, Surabaya, East (28, 3-31, 72 m asl), Trawas-Mojokerto (727-937 m asl), Coban Talun- Java, Indonesia Bumiaji Batu (1303-1322 m asl). The results were then analyzed by E-mail: [email protected] cluster analysis and Canonical Correspondence Analysis (ACA). The results show that there are correlation between altitude and environmental factors (climate and soil) to morphological characteristics especially height of stems and width of leaves of Pluchea indica, Ageratum conyzoides and Elephantopus scaber. The highest stem is found on Pluchea , while the widest leaves are found on Pluchea and Elephantopus. The habitat altitude and the environmental factors were determined by measuring altitude, light intensity, oxygen levels (climate), organic compound, C level, N level, pH (soil chemical character), soil temperature, water levels, porosity, dust, sand and soil humidity (soil physical character). Asteraceae which grows at intermediate-altitude has the highest stems. While, Asteraceae at low-altitude has the widest leaf. Keywords: Asteraceae, Altitude, Height of Stems, Width of Leaf Introduction The environment affects to morphological and physiological characters of Asteraceae. Usually, plants were Asteraceae has around 1.100 genera and 20.000 genetically similar, although their morphology were species, including Magnoliopsida (Dycotyledoneae) different due to their environments (ecophenes) or class and Asterales order (Cronquist, 1981). Generally, genetically different in certain species due to their regional Asteraceae, grows in an open habitat such as field, distributions (ecotype) (Salisbury and Ross, 1992). garden, roadside, river, under the trees at 1-2100 m asl. Herbaceous and shrubs were included in this family. The correlation between altitude and morphology This family had several benefits, such as herbal medicine was caused by the differences on temperature or CO 2, and vegetable pesticides (insecticide, fungicide and so there were possibility of acclimatization and nematicide). Asteraceae has various phytochemical adaptation of the plants due to the situations (Hovanden effects, such as insecticide effect like pyrethrum, and Vander Schoor, 2003). triterpenoid, saponin, phenolic, coumarin and flavonoid Every plants were able to change one or more their (Ozgen et al ., 2004). At several conditions, Asteraceae morphological characteristics as response from abiotic can be used as biopesticide or herbs due to its effect on (climate and weather) and biotic factors (competition). secondary metabolites production. For example, the size and wide of Alpine leaves was © 2015 Yuliani, Soemarno, Bagyo Yanuwiadi and Amin Setyo Leksono. This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) 3.0 license. Yuliani et al . / OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences 2015, 15 (3): 143.151 DOI: 10.3844/ojbsci.2015.143.151 changing simultaneously with the altitude. On the other Materials and Methods way, some plants could produce a wider leaves in summer than in winter (Stenstrom et al ., 2002). In This research was conducted from November 2012- addition, each of environmental factors could interact March 2013 in East Java, Indonesia. Sites location were with the others, Douglas (1981) showed that competition chosen based on its altitude and used purposive sampling could reduce the size of Mimulis primuloide at low- method.The samples were taken from Bangkalan-Madura at altitude, while low temperature could reduce the size of low-altitude (28, 3-31, 72 m asl; E112.763368;S-7.021999), plants at high-altitude and could cause the bigger plants size at intermediate-altitude. Trawas-Mojokerto at intermediate-altitude (727-937 m asl; Recent study about Andographis paniculata showed E112.59425;S-7.681328) and Bumiaji-Batu at high-altitude that plants which grew at intermediate-altitude has (1303-1322 m asl; E112.517002;S-7.804258) (Fig. 1). higher stems and wider leaves than plants at low and The height of stems and width of leaves from three high altitude (Pujiasmanto et al ., 2007). species of Asteraceae at various altitude was measured Plants which grew at high-altitude have differences in by using the method below: their morphology and physiology compared with lower- altitude plants. The altitude has a big impact on leaves, • The width of leaves morphology and physiology. Generally, the size (such as • Pluchea indica . At least 240 leaves were taken broad, wide and length) of leaves were decreasing at each sites location. Two branches were taken simultaneously with the increasing of its height and from each 10 pieces of Pluchea . Each branches thickness which causing the reduction of its wide were measured from node 1 to 6, so overall (Korner et al ., 1989; Hovanden and Vander Schoor, 2003). there were 12 leaves. Thus, 24 leaves were Primary metabolites were affected by environmental measured from each plants and 240 leaves were factors. For example, CO 2 concentration or deficiency of measured from 10 plants. The results were organic compounds (such as carbon) could affect plants averaged for 10 width of leaves. The growth and development. Primary metabolites in plants were depended on the variety of organ, tissues, measurement of width of leaves was done by developmental period and environmental factors, such using leaf area meter as temperature, UV, light, organic compounds, the • Elephantopus scaber . 20 plants were taken from availability of water and CO 2 concentration on the each sites which consisted of 8 to 12 leaves, so atmosphere (Mazid et al ., 2011; Sharafzadeh and overall there were 190-260 leaves Kourosh, 2011). Species diversity in the scope of habitat • Ageratum conyzoides . 20 plants were taken from was controlled by environmental factors, either the soil each sites from node 1 to 4, so overall there were fertility or the height or other factors (Fitter and Hay, 1981). 8 leaves in each plants. Total number of leaves According to the background, this research was aimed from Ageratum conyzoides were 160 leaves to describe the variation of height of stems width of leaves from three species of Asteraceae ( Pluchea indica, Ageratum • The measurement of height of stems were based on conyzoides and Elephantopus scaber ) at three different their diameter, P. indica has diameter 42,11±2,91 mm; altitude and learn the correlation between altitude and A. conyzoides 1,99± and E.scaber 4,65±0,93 mm. 10 morphological characteristic of Asteraceae. plants of Asteraceae were measured in each habitat (a) (b) Fig. 1. Sites Location: Overview map of Indonesia (a) and sites location in East Java (b) 144 Yuliani et al . / OnLine Journal of Biological Sciences 2015, 15 (3): 143.151 DOI: 10.3844/ojbsci.2015.143.151 Morphological Measurement high level on C and N content, high level in air humidity and good humidity on the soil, (3) high-altitude in Batu has The Measurement of Geographical and Climate a sandy texture with high water levels, N total, oxygen Characteristic, including: the altitude, temperature, air level, porosity, soil pH and organic matters. The sandy humidity, light intensity and oxygen levels. texture tend to has organic matters, C/N compound and low The Measurement of Physical and Chemical water levels. While dusty texture is more fertile. Properties on Soil, including: Soil pH, soil temperature, Morphological characteristic (including height of soil humidity, C compound, total N, organic compounds, stems and width of leaves) from three species of texture, porosity and water capacity. Asteraceae at three differents altitudes were shown in The climate measurement and soil sampling were (Fig. 3 and 4). repeated 10 times for each sites, so overall there were 30 The results show that Ageratum conyzoides , which data for climate, physical and chemical characteristic. grow at intermediate-altitude, is the highest (53,8 cm) The measurement of soil and climate were done plant than at high-altitude (36,94 cm) and low-altitude simultaneously with the uptake of plants sampling. The (20,88 cm). Similarly, Elephantopus scaber , which soil samples were analyzed in laboratory