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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.)

Seasonal and drought-related changes in leaf area profiles depend on height and light environment in an Amazon forest

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Author(s):
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Smith, Marielle N. [1, 2] ; Stark, Scott C. [1] ; Taylor, Tyeen C. [2] ; Ferreira, Mauricio L. [3] ; de Oliveira, Eronaldo [4] ; Restrepo-Coupe, Natalia [2, 5] ; Chen, Shuli [2] ; Woodcock, Tara [2] ; dos Santos, Darlisson Bentes [6] ; Alves, Luciana F. [7] ; Figueira, Michela [4] ; de Camargo, Plinio B. [3] ; de Oliveira, Raimundo C. [8] ; Aragao, Luiz E. O. C. [9, 10] ; Falk, Donald A. [11, 12] ; McMahon, Sean M. [13] ; Huxman, Travis E. [14, 15] ; Saleska, Scott R. [2]
Total Authors: 18
Affiliation:
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[1] Michigan State Univ, Dept Forestry, E Lansing, MI 48824 - USA
[2] Univ Arizona, Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Tucson, AZ 85721 - USA
[3] Univ Sao Paulo, CENA, BR-13416000 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil
[4] Univ Fed Oeste Para UFOPA, BR-68040255 Santarem, PA - Brazil
[5] Univ Technol Sydney, Sch Life Sci, Sydney, NSW 2007 - Australia
[6] Ctr Univ Luterano Santarem CEULS ULBRA, BR-68025000 Santarem, PA - Brazil
[7] Univ Calif Los Angeles, Inst Environm & Sustainabil, Ctr Trop Res, Los Angeles, CA 90095 - USA
[8] Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, BR-68035110 Santarem, PA - Brazil
[9] Inst Nacl Pesquisas Espaciais, BR-12227010 Sao Jose Dos Campos, SP - Brazil
[10] Univ Exeter, Coll Life & Environm Sci, Exeter EX4 4RJ, Devon - England
[11] Univ Arizona, Sch Nat Resources & Environm, Tucson, AZ 85721 - USA
[12] Univ Arizona, Tree Ring Res Lab, Tucson, AZ 85721 - USA
[13] Smithsonian Environm Res Ctr, Smithsonian Inst Forest Global Earth Observ, POB 28, Edgewater, MD 21037 - USA
[14] Univ Calif Irvine, Ecol & Evolutionary Biol, Irvine, CA 92629 - USA
[15] Univ Calif Irvine, Ctr Environm Biol, Irvine, CA 92629 - USA
Total Affiliations: 15
Document type: Journal article
Source: NEW PHYTOLOGIST; v. 222, n. 3, p. 1284-1297, MAY 2019.
Web of Science Citations: 7
Abstract

Seasonal dynamics in the vertical distribution of leaf area index (LAI) may impact the seasonality of forest productivity in Amazonian forests. However, until recently, fine-scale observations critical to revealing ecological mechanisms underlying these changes have been lacking. To investigate fine-scale variation in leaf area with seasonality and drought we conducted monthly ground-based LiDAR surveys over 4 yr at an Amazon forest site. We analysed temporal changes in vertically structured LAI along axes of both canopy height and light environments. Upper canopy LAI increased during the dry season, whereas lower canopy LAI decreased. The low canopy decrease was driven by highly illuminated leaves of smaller trees in gaps. By contrast, understory LAI increased concurrently with the upper canopy. Hence, tree phenological strategies were stratified by height and light environments. Trends were amplified during a 2015-2016 severe El Nino drought. Leaf area low in the canopy exhibited behaviour consistent with water limitation. Leaf loss from short trees in high light during drought may be associated with strategies to tolerate limited access to deep soil water and stressful leaf environments. Vertically and environmentally structured phenological processes suggest a critical role of canopy structural heterogeneity in seasonal changes in Amazon ecosystem function. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/50533-5 - Understanding the response of photosynthetic metabolism in tropical forests to seasonal climate variations
Grantee:Luiz Eduardo Oliveira e Cruz de Aragão
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants