THE DENDROCHRONOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF NATURAL GRASSLANDS: ANATOMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE WOOD OF SHRUBS OF THE SANTA BÁRBARA ECOLOGICAL STATION

• Grant number: 24/16500-7
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Applied Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Mario Tommasiello Filho
• Grantee: Cecília Leite Lemes
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 20/01378-0 - Grasslands in the State of São Paulo: diagnosis, management and conservation, AP.BTA.TEM

Abstract

As research progresses towards understanding the mechanisms behind the formation and dimensions of growth rings in tree wood, dendrochronology has significantly contributed to the understanding of factors that explain tree growth variation and the reconstruction of ecosystem histories. However, a similar tool for reconstructing the ecological history of grassland ecosystems is still relatively new, given the difficulty in determining the age of small plants and the variation in their growth. In the Cerrado, where fires are frequent, the periodic elimination of aboveground biomass by fire and other disturbances further complicates this task. Based on promising preliminary tests, the objective of this research is to evaluate the dendrochronological potential of small plants from natural grasslands in the Cerrado at the Santa Bárbara Ecological Station, using their underground structures, which are not eliminated by disturbance factors, as the study subjects. The study will use samples of wood from small plant species of different taxonomic groups, collected at the Santa Bárbara Ecological Station. For each species, a macroscopic and microscopic anatomical description board of the wood material to be analyzed will be prepared, and radiographic images will be analyzed for a more detailed characterization of the growth rings. This approach will determine which of the studied species have potential for dendrochronological studies, seeking patterns related to more promising taxonomic groups. With the results of this study, we aim to guide the selection of species for future research in the field of dendrochronology of small plants and contribute to the estimation of the age of plant communities in natural grasslands, which is currently entirely unknown.