Structural analysis and quantification of herbaceous species reserves in Emas National Park and their relationship with fire.

• Grant number: 22/12301-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Plant Morphology
• Principal Investigator: Aline Redondo Martins
• Grantee: Patrícia Fernanda Rosalem
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Although the Cerrado is similar to other biomes around the world with notable prerequisites such as fire and exuberant diversity of species, there is still a lack of multidisciplinary studies that could contribute to understanding how some survival dynamics occur. It is known that it houses a diversity of underground organs, but there are few records given the quantity and variety of species and structures. In this context, studies on morphoanatomy and reserve metabolism can characterize the mechanisms of species capable of surviving fire and provide unprecedented information for studies with ecological approaches. Therefore, the present project has the general objective of characterizing the morphoanatomy and metabolism of reserves of ten herbaceous species from the Fabaceae family. Having a greater purpose of contributing ecological information rarely found in the literature. To this end, the bodies of 10 herbaceous species will be collected in their entirety, in clean field areas within the PNE. The material will be fixed in 70% FAA, dehydrated in an ethyl series, included in historesin, for cutting using a rotating microtome, or will be kept in 70% alcohol for cutting using a sliding microtome. Slides will be mounted and photographed under light microscopy and leaf and aerial stem samples will be incorporated into Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) protocols. The reserve compounds of: starch, total amino acids, soluble proteins, sucrose and fructose will be quantified. In short, the aim is to generate unprecedented data on plant morphoanatomy and metabolism in order to contribute to the characterization mainly of little explored organs, such as underground organs. This data can have a unique role in future ecology research, compiling data to concretely answer how reserve metabolism works and which structures are responsible for storing them. In addition to describing the structural protection of these organs in environments with abiotic stress.