Analysis of disturbances and resilience in the Brazilian Cerrado through anatomical records in the wood of tree species

• Grant number: 25/23400-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 09, 2026
• End date: October 08, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Forestry Resources and Forestry Engineering - Nature Conservation
• Principal Investigator: Mario Tommasiello Filho
• Grantee: Maycon da Silva Teixeira
• Supervisor: Ignacio Garcia Gonzalez
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo (USC), Spain
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/14359-5 - Ecological events recorded in the tree rings of Cerrado species: a multiproxy approach to assessing fire episodes, BP.DR

Abstract

The wood of tree species constitutes an important source of information about past environmental and ecological conditions, which allows making predictions about future behaviors. These records can be obtained through the analysis of the different types of cells that compose the wood of the tree trunk. In this way, extensive time series are built that contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of the environments in which the trees develop, providing consistent data on the adaptive mechanisms and serving as a basis for the development of conservation methodologies of the remnants of native vegetation. In this sense, by observing the adverse conditions and the influence of fire in the Brazilian Cerrado, the tree species develop adaptive strategies that are recorded in the wood, favoring their resilience in this biome. Specifically, our objectives include: (i) to characterize the annual variation of vessels in the growth rings of a set of native species of the Cerrado; (ii) to describe and analyze the anatomical adjustments considering the periods before, during, and after fire events; and (iii) to employ a multidisciplinary approach to understand how the characteristics of the wood are interrelated and how they are influenced by abiotic factors. By analyzing how different species respond to the environmental and ecological conditions characteristic of the Cerrado, the results will provide information about the anatomical adjustments throughout the life history of the trees. The anatomical analyses will be carried out through the construction of vessel chronologies and the use of µCT imaging techniques. This proposal is developed in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Ignacio García-González, at the Higher Polytechnic School of Engineering (Lugo, Spain).