Architecture of Cerrado woody species and its relationships with their ecosystems

• Grant number: 23/09208-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: December 01, 2023
• End date: May 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Applied Botany
• Principal Investigator: Alessandra Tomaselli Fidelis
• Grantee: Marco Antonio Chiminazzo
• Supervisor: Tristan Charles-Dominique
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Botanique et Modélisation de l'Architecture des Plantes et des végétations (AMAP), France
• Associated to the scholarship: 21/09269-9 - Savannas, forests & transition zones: integrative approaches to disclose coexisting biomes, BP.DR

Abstract

Plant architecture plays a crucial role in determining the form and function of plants and their ability to adapt to different environments. This proposal aims to investigate the diversity of architectures in woody plants that are open specialists, closed-canopy specialists, or generalists. The study focuses on the Santa Bárbara Ecological Station in Brazil, which features a mosaic of forests and savannas exposed to similar climatic and edaphic conditions. The objectives of the study are to identify if there are common architectural rules promoted across savannas and forests and to examine which architectural parameters explain the plants' ability to intercept light. The research will involve sampling three individuals from the most abundant species along the savanna-transition-forest gradient. Branch mass per area will be quantified as a measure of light interception capacity. Statistical analyses, including R-mode and Q-mode analysis, will be performed to explore the relationships between architectural rules, light interception capacity, and vegetation types. The findings of this study will contribute to understanding how plant architecture influences community assembly and adaptation to different ecosystems. By unraveling patterns of architecture across contrasting ecosystems, this research will provide valuable insights into how plants cope with contrasting environmental conditions. (AU)