Spatial distribution patterns and morphological differentiation of cryospheric plants.

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Distribution patterns and morphological differentiation of leaves of some cryospheric ferns of Polystichum, Dryopteris and Athyrium were surveyed in Hokkaido and Shinshu. The summer green fern leaves of Dryopteris coreno-montana and Thelypteris phegopteris showed no cline of size and shape along latitudinal distribution zones. Semi-evergreen leaves of Polystichum tripteron showed a morphological cline in shape-complexity along altitudinal and latitudinal zones. Even in a same size of leaves of Polystichum tripteron the leaf-shape complexity decreases in northern regions and highland of Japan. No difference was found in leaf-shape and leaf-size in Dryoteris coreano-montana from relict populations of Shinshu, Hokkaido and Sakhalin. Athyrium yokoscense and A. niponicum showed no clear differentiation, however they have wide range of distributions in Japan. These species has large variation in leaf-shape and leaf-size within a plant, which might regulate leaf number and phenology for the survival of wide range of habitats and distribution area.