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Symmetry
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Floral Symmetry
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Floral Symmetry

A special issue of Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemistry: Symmetry/Asymmetry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2019) | Viewed by 28993

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. John H. Graham

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Berry College, Mount Berry, GA 30149, USA
Interests: fluctuating asymmetry; developmental instability; evolutionary genetics; hybrid zones; community ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Floral symmetry of the angiosperms (flowering plants) occupies a special place in the botanical sciences. Flowers are first and foremost, reproductive structures, regardless of whether a plant reproduces sexually or asexually or whether flowers are insect pollinated or wind pollinated. Furthermore, flower symmetry has an important role in the classification of angiopsperms. Flowers and inflorescences can be actinomorphic (dihedral and rotational symmetry), zygomorphic (mirror symmetry), or possessing helical (spiral) symmetry, fractal symmetry, or no symmetry at all. The symmetry of a flower or inflorescence is related to how the flower is pollinated; insect- or vertebrate-pollinated flowers tend to be actinomorphic or zygomorphic, while wind pollinated flowering heads tend towards fractal symmetry. Bees and other pollinators have clear preferences for particular symmetries and have a major role in driving the evolution of particular symmetries. The genetics of flower symmetry is a particularly active area of research, with several genes implicated, including CYC and DICH. Another active area of research is the fluctuating asymmetry of flowers, as an indicator of developmental noise.

The aim of this Special Issue is to highlight all aspects of floral symmetry and asymmetry in the biological sciences. Research papers, comprehensive reviews, and discussions of theory are especially welcome. However, any other kind of paper: Communication, technical note, short overview or comments will also be taken into consideration.

Dr. John H. Graham
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Symmetry is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Actinomorphic and zygomorphic flowers and inflorescences
  • Directionally asymmetric flowers
  • Fibonacci spirals in flowers and inflorescences
  • Floral symmetry groups
  • Genetics of flower symmetry
  • Evolution of flower symmetry
  • Phylogenetic patterns of flower symmetry
  • Pelorism
  • Flower symmetry and pollinator preferences
  • Fluctuating asymmetry

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 2102 KiB  
Article
Radial and Bilateral Fluctuating Asymmetry of Iris pumila Flowers as Indicators of Environmental Stress
by Nataša Barišić Klisarić, Danijela Miljković, Stevan Avramov, Uroš Živković and Aleksej Tarasjev
Symmetry 2019, 11(6), 818; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym11060818 - 20 Jun 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4421
Abstract
In this study we compared the biomonitoring potential of various types of flower asymmetry indices in Iris pumila (Dwarf Bearded Iris). We chose 197 naturally growing clones from the arid steppe habitat in the largest sandy area in Europe (Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve), [...] Read more.
In this study we compared the biomonitoring potential of various types of flower asymmetry indices in Iris pumila (Dwarf Bearded Iris). We chose 197 naturally growing clones from the arid steppe habitat in the largest sandy area in Europe (Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve), and we transplanted two replicates of each clone to a polluted highway site with a heavy traffic flow. After a period of acclimatization, lower levels of photosynthetic pigment concentrations and higher stomatal density and specific leaf area in transplants verified that the chosen highway site was indeed more stressful and therefore suitable for estimation of the flower asymmetry biomonitoring potential. We analyzed radially and bilaterally symmetrical flower structures (radial fluctuating asymmetry (RA) and bilateral fluctuating asymmetry (FA)) on three perianth parts—falls, standards, and styles—and calculated various asymmetry indices based on linear and geometric morphometrics. Despite utilizing a heavily polluted environment and fairly large sample sizes, only one asymmetry index was significantly higher on the polluted site with demonstrated stressful effects on utilized plants, indicating that flower asymmetry was not an efficient method for biomonitoring in the case of I. pumila RA and FA indices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Floral Symmetry)
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26 pages, 5883 KiB  
Article
Patterns of Diversity of Floral Symmetry in Angiosperms: A Case Study of the Order Apiales
by Maxim S. Nuraliev, Dmitry D. Sokoloff, Polina V. Karpunina and Alexei A. Oskolski
Symmetry 2019, 11(4), 473; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym11040473 - 3 Apr 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7280
Abstract
Floral symmetry is widely known as one of the most important structural traits of reproductive organs in angiosperms. It is tightly related to the shape and arrangement of floral parts, and at the same time, it plays a key role in general appearance [...] Read more.
Floral symmetry is widely known as one of the most important structural traits of reproductive organs in angiosperms. It is tightly related to the shape and arrangement of floral parts, and at the same time, it plays a key role in general appearance (visual gestalt) of a flower, which is especially important for the interactions of zoophilous flowers with their pollinators. The traditional classification of floral symmetry divides nearly all the diversity of angiosperm flowers into actinomorphic and zygomorphic ones. Within this system, which is useful for ecological studies, many variations of symmetry appear to be disregarded. At the same time, the diversity of floral symmetry is underpinned not only by ecological factors, but also by morphogenetic mechanisms and constraints. Sometimes it is not an easy task to uncover the adaptive or developmental significance of a change of the floral symmetry in a particular lineage. Using the asterid order Apiales as a model group, we demonstrate that such changes can correlate with the merism of the entire flower or of its particular whorl, with the relative orientation of gynoecium to the rest of the flower, with the presence of sterile floral elements and other morphological characters. Besides, in some taxa, the shape and symmetry of the flower change in the course of its development, which should be taken in consideration in morphological comparisons and evaluations of synapomorphies in a particular clade. Finally, we show that different results can be obtained due to employment of different approaches: for instance, many flowers that are traditionally described as actinomorphic turn out to be disymmetric, monosymmetric, or asymmetric from a more detailed look. The traditional method of division into actinomorphy and zygomorphy deals with the general appearance of a flower, and mainly considers the shape of the corolla, while the geometrical approach handles the entire three-dimensional structure of the flower, and provides an exact number of its symmetry planes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Floral Symmetry)
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11 pages, 2031 KiB  
Article
Interaction between Floral Merism and Symmetry: Evidence from Fasciated Mutant of Lupinus angustifolius L. (Leguminosae)
by Andrey A. Sinjushin, Ekaterina A. Bykova and Vladimir V. Choob
Symmetry 2019, 11(3), 321; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym11030321 - 4 Mar 2019
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3239
Abstract
A significant diversity of flower structure in angiosperms is defined by few parameters, among which one may list floral merism and symmetry as the most important. However, observation of normal variation in different taxa indicates that high floral merism (more than six organs) [...] Read more.
A significant diversity of flower structure in angiosperms is defined by few parameters, among which one may list floral merism and symmetry as the most important. However, observation of normal variation in different taxa indicates that high floral merism (more than six organs) is very rarely associated with a monosymmetry. Precise mechanisms underlying this tendency, as well as the mode of interaction between regulatory pathways of floral symmetry and merism, remain unidentified. In this work, we observed the floral ontogeny in normal plants of Lupinus angustifolius L. (Leguminosae), described the floral structure and its variations in fasciated mutant. Our results suggest that monosymmetry is regulated independently from the floral merism, so three types of petals differentiate properly even in flowers with an anomalously high number of organs. However, the adaxial floral domain is the most stable floral part, which is the least susceptible to the fluctuations of merism. This means that some genes responsible for the development of the adaxial flower domain may additionally stabilize it and hence prevent fluctuations of merism in the adaxial domain. The monosymmetry in Leguminosae is a character connected with pollination by insects and requires a precise interaction between all floral parts. That is why fluctuations, which impair this interaction and symmetry, may decrease the pollination efficiency. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Floral Symmetry)
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20 pages, 2749 KiB  
Article
Symmetrical Motifs in Young Children’s Drawings: A Study on Their Representations of Plant Life
by José Domingo Villarroel, María Merino and Álvaro Antón
Symmetry 2019, 11(1), 26; https://doi.org/10.3390/sym11010026 - 29 Dec 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 12538
Abstract
Young children love drawing; this is without question. Besides that, drawings are also of interest to scholars and educators, since they seem to provide food for thought regarding children’s conceptual development during their early education. Different approaches are taken when it comes to [...] Read more.
Young children love drawing; this is without question. Besides that, drawings are also of interest to scholars and educators, since they seem to provide food for thought regarding children’s conceptual development during their early education. Different approaches are taken when it comes to analysing children’s drawings but insufficient attention has been given to the issue of the spontaneous depictions of symmetrical motifs in young children’s drawings. This pictorial phenomena might not go unnoticed by parents and teachers but the fact is that the scientific community has no reliable data regarding how children under 8 naturally draw symmetrical patterns to express themselves graphically. Accordingly, the present study analyses 116 drawings undertaken by children between 4 and 7 on a well-known natural issue in early childhood such as plant life. Pictorial motifs displaying both cyclic and dihedral symmetries were found in the pictorial sample under examination and the data gathered is put in perspective with the gender and educational level variables. The results of the study show that symmetry, particularly, dihedral symmetry, is a very common pictorial practice in the sample and, also, that the occurrence of symmetrical motifs displays a relationship with the independent variables considered in the study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Floral Symmetry)
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