Phylogenetic Patterns in Leaf Phenology of Dry Tropical Ecosystems

• Grant number: 25/07332-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Master's degree
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
• Grantee: Nattália do Prado Neves
• Supervisor: Kyle Graham Dexter
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biociências (IB). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Università degli Studi di Torino (UNITO), Italy
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/01680-0 - Can we define leaf exchange functional groups in seasonally dry tropical forest trees? a test using leaf temporal trait, BP.MS

Abstract

In Tropical Dry Ecosystems, the proportion of deciduous plants increases as rainfall decreases and senescence increases to avoid water stress during the dry seasons. Still, there is wide variation in how long species can maintain their leaves. The length of the growing season, the timing of leaf production, and the leaf fall can be influenced by a combination of abiotic and biotic factors, such as rainfall, temperature, and herbivory. Nevertheless, there is also evidence that the phenological patterns of plant species are phylogenetically restricted, meaning that the phenology of a plant species may be similar to that of phylogenetically related species, regardless of the specific environmental pressures to which each species is exposed. However, studies considering leaf exchange phenology within a phylogenetic framework are still scarce. We seek to answer: To what extent are plant phenological strategies, such as leaf flushing, leaf fall, and the length of the growing season, restricted by phylogenetic relationships? Do closely related species tend to share similar functional and ecological attributes such as deciduousness and time of leaf fall and leaf flush? Is the influence of phylogeny on phenology a pervasive characteristic of seasonally dry forests, such as the Caatinga and Cerrado? Addressing these questions is essential to unravel the mechanisms underlying plant phenology and to predict how different species and ecosystems might respond to changing climatic conditions.