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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.)

Mineral nutrition and specific leaf area of plants under contrasting long-term fire frequencies: a case study in a mesic savanna in Australia

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Author(s):
de Souza, Marcelo Claro [1, 2] ; Rossatto, Davi Rodrigo [3] ; Cook, Garry David [4] ; Fujinuma, Ryosuke [5] ; Menzies, Neal William [5] ; Cerdeira Morellato, Leonor Patricia [6] ; Habermann, Gustavo [6]
Total Authors: 7
Affiliation:
[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Ciencias Farmaceut Ribeirao Preto, Dept Ciencias Farmaceut, Ave Cafe S-N, BR-14040903 Ribeirao Preto, SP - Brazil
[2] Univ Estadual Paulista, Programa Pos Grad Biol Vegetal, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Ave 24-A, 1515, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
[3] Univ Estadual Paulista, Fac Ciencias Agr & Vet, Dept Biol, Via Acesso Paulo Donato Castellani S-N, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil
[4] CSIRO Land & Water Flagship, Darwin, NT - Australia
[5] Univ Queensland, Sch Agr & Food Sci, Brisbane, Qld - Australia
[6] Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Bot, Ave 24-A, 1515, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP - Brazil
Total Affiliations: 6
Document type: Journal article
Source: TREES-STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION; v. 30, n. 1, p. 329-335, FEB 2016.
Web of Science Citations: 3
Abstract

Fire frequency is considered to be a controlling factor for the structure of savanna vegetation, also affecting functional aspects of plants, yet studies contrasting long-term burnt and unburnt sites within the same area are rare. At fire-protected sites, one may expect to find woody vegetation with non-sclerophyllous leaves exhibiting a high nutrient concentration and growing on soils of high fertility. Using a burnt (14 times within the last 20 years) and an unburnt site (over the same period) within the same area of a mesic Australian savanna, we compared the soil fertility, specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf macronutrient concentration of the exclusive (species that occur at a single site), common (species that occur at both sites) and total (exclusive and common species combined) sampled tree species from the two sites. The exclusive, common and total sampled tree species had a lower SLA when growing at the burnt site than at the unburnt site. Soil from the burnt site was less fertile than the soil from the unburnt site, and the plants from the burnt site exhibited lower leaf nutrient concentrations when compared with those from the unburnt site. The association between fire and soil fertility was consistent with the differences in leaf scleromorphism between the sites under contrasting fire frequencies. (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