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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

The length of the dry season may be associated with leaf scleromorphism in cerrado plants

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Author(s):
Souza, Marcelo C. [1] ; Franco, Augusto C. [2] ; Haridasan, Mundayatan [3] ; Rossatto, Davi R. [4] ; De Araujo, Janaina F. [3] ; Morellato, Leonor P. C. [5] ; Habermann, Gustavo [5]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Programa Posgrad Ciencias Biol Biol Vegetal, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Brasilia, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Bot, BR-70904970 Brasilia, DF - Brazil
[3] Univ Brasilia, Inst Ciencias Biol, Dept Ecol, BR-70904970 Brasilia, DF - Brazil
[4] UNESP, Fac Ciencias Agr & Vet, Dept Biol Aplicada Agr, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil
[5] UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 5
Document type: Journal article
Source: Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências; v. 87, n. 3, p. 1691-1699, SEP 2015.
Web of Science Citations: 11
Abstract

Despite limitations of low fertility and high acidity of the soils, the cerrado flora is the richest amongst savannas. Many cerrado woody species show sclerophyllous leaves, which might be related to the availability of water and nutrients in the soil. To better understand the function and structure of cerrado vegetation within its own variations, we compared two cerrado communities: one in its core region in central Brazil (Brasilia, DF) and the other on its southern periphery (Itirapina, SP). We contrasted the length of the dry season, soil fertility rates, leaf concentrations of N, P, K, Ca and Mg and the specific leaf area (SLA) between these communities. The dry season was shorter on the periphery, where the soil was more fertile although more acidic. Plants from the periphery showed higher SLA and higher leaf concentrations of N, P, Ca and Mg. We propose that the higher SLA of plants from the periphery is related to the shorter dry season, which allows better conditions for nutrient uptake. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/13762-3 - Comparative study between the Australian and Brazilian savannas: is aluminum in the soil a survival factor for the plant species?
Grantee:Marcelo Claro de Souza
Support type: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 10/07809-1 - Multivariate and molecular approaches in the phenology study of functional groups of Brazilian Savanna
Grantee:Marcelo Claro de Souza
Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
FAPESP's process: 10/51307-0 - Floristic diversity and seasonal patterns of rupestrian fields and cerrado
Grantee:Leonor Patricia Cerdeira Morellato
Support type: Research Grants - Research Partnership for Technological Innovation - PITE