RESUMO -(Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera modifi ca sua estrutura foliar devido a diferenças na luminosidade e condições edáfi cas). Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera é uma espécie de Asteraceae com ampla distribuição no bioma cerrado, sendo encontrada em diversas fi sionomias fl orestais da região sudeste do Brasil. O presente estudo descreve alguns caracteres anatômicos foliares dessa espécie e os analisa quantitativamente em função de sua ocorrência nas formações fl orestais e também das diferenças de luminosidade. Foram encontradas diferenças quantitativas em todos os parâmetros anatômicos analisados. Os resultados demonstram que a alta plasticidade anatômica foliar nesta espécie pode ser considerada como uma vantagem adaptativa que a permite ocorrer em diversos ambientes do cerrado. Palavras-chave: cerrado, freqüência estomática, mata de galeria, morfologia foliar, plasticidade anatômica ABSTRACT -(Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera (Asteraceae) changes in leaf structure due to differences in light and edaphic conditions). Gochnatia polymorpha (Less.) Cabrera is a widespread Asteraceae species found in different physiognomies of cerrado (Neotropical savanna) and in forest formations of southeast Brazil. This study describes some leaf anatomy characteristics of this species and quantitatively evaluates them in relation to different environments, as well as under different light conditions. We found quantitative differences in all anatomical parameters analyzed. The results demonstrate that high leaf anatomy plasticity is an adaptive advantage that allows this species to occur in diverse cerrado conditions.

Savanna vegetation maintains its openness and its diverse plant composition because of frequent fire events; however, when these are suppressed, encroachment is caused by increases in the tree density. In the neotropical savanna (cerrado of Brazil), typical forest trees are invading savanna areas, altering abiotic conditions and affecting the persistence of their exclusive species. Here we studied changes in abiotic conditions, species richness and diversity of a non-arboreal community (herbs, vines, grasses, subshrubs and shrubs) in a gradient of encroachment at a site where fire has been suppressed for more than 50 years in south-eastern Brazil. Encroached communities were more shaded and possessed a wetter and richer soil (higher contents of organic matter and P) compared with the typical savanna. These abiotic changes were related to a less rich and less diverse plant community in encroached savanna compared with typical savanna. The most important abiotic variables driving such changes were photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) reaching the understorey and soil P content: communities with lower species richness and diversity had lower PAR incidence and higher soil P content. Our results suggest that non-arboreal savanna species may be under serious threat of extinction given the expected ecological changes caused by the widespread expansion of forest on the savannas in the absence of fire.

Few studies address the ecology of herbs of Cerrado grasslands, which are ecosystems where the long dry season, high temperatures, insolation, fire and invasive grasses greatly influencing germination and the establishment of plants. We assessed germination of 13 species of Poaceae from Cerrado grasslands under nursery conditions or in germination chambers, the latter with i) recently collected seeds and seeds after six months storage, ii) under constant and alternating temperatures, and iii) in the presence and absence of light. Germinability, mean germination time (MGT) and required light were quantified to elucidate factors involved in successful germination. Germinability was low for most grasses, probably because of low seed viability. For most species, germinability and MGT were not altered by seed storage. Germination percentages were higher at alternating temperatures and in the presence of light, factors that are more similar to natural environmental situations compared with constant temperature or the absence of light. Our findings indicate that alternating temperatures and light incidence are key factors for germination of species of Poaceae. The maintenance of these environmental factors, which are crucial for the conservation of Cerrado grasslands, depends on appropriate management interventions, such as fire management and the control of biological invasion. Keywords ABSTRACTFew studies address the ecology of herbs of Cerrado grasslands, which are ecosystems where the long dry season, high temperatures,

Em matas ciliares da Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Tibagi, nas áreas sujeitas a inundações periódicas, é comum a ocorrência de S. commersoniana onde, geralmente, se torna a espécie dominante. A fim de elucidar alguns aspectos de tolerância ao alagamento, plantas dessa espécie foram mantidas na capacidade de campo e em solo alagado por dois meses. Após esse período, algumas plantas foram desalagadas para verificar o comportamento da espécie no período de reaeração. O alagamento induziu, em raízes, aumento de espaços intercelulares, redução na espessura do cilindro central e aumento na espessura do córtex. Plantas alagadas cresceram menos que as controle e desenvolveram lenticelas hipertróficas caulinares e algumas raízes adventícias. Plantas reaeradas retomaram o crescimento. Se considerarmos os resultados obtidos, juntamente com aqueles da literatura, tanto de florística e fitossociologia como de bioquímica, pode-se sugerir que as modificações morfoanatômicas observadas são importantes para explicar a tolerância dessa espécie à inundação.
In the woods along the Tibagi River hydrographical basin, in areas subject to periodical flooding, the incidence of S. commersoniana is usual, it often becoming the prevailing species. Plants of this species were kept in well drained and flooded soils for two months, in order to explain some aspects of tolerance to waterlogging. After this period, some plants were returned to the well drained soil in order to check the species behaviour in the re-aeration period. In the roots, flooding induced, an increase of intercellular spaces as well as a thickening of the cortex, and a reduction in the thickeness of the central cylinder. Flooded plants grew less than the control ones, and developed hypertrophic lenticels and some adventitious roots. The re-aired plants recovered in growth. It can be suggested that the morphoanatomical modifications observed are important to explain the tolerance of this species to flooding, if we take into consideration the obtained results, together with those obtained in the literature about floristic and phytosociology, as well as in that dealing with biochemistry

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Scleromorphic leaf structures are associated with plants growing under drought-prone conditions, high irradiances and nutrient-poor soils. Sclerophylly can also be a valuable deterrent against herbivores. However, comprehensive studies of leaf anatomical traits encompassing different growth forms are lacking. The savannas of central Brazil (Cerrado) are characterized by high species diversity and a variety of growth forms. We performed a field study to characterize leaf anatomical traits and leaf mass per area (LMA) in 57 cooccurring Cerrado species of distinct plant families (located at different positions in the angiosperm phylogeny) and categorized according to the following growth forms: trees, palms, shrubs, subshrubs, vines, grasses and herbs. Plant growth form and leaf structure were interrelated. Four groups with distinct leaf anatomical syndromes were identified: grasses, palms, herbaceous (herbs, vines and most subshrubs) and woody (trees and shrubs) plants.Trees and shrubs had scleromorphic dorsiventral leaves, with high tissue thickness and LMA.Herbaceous plants had thin, mesomorphic leaves. While most herbaceous plants had dorsiventral type of mesophyll, grasses and palms had homogenous mesophyll with sclerenchymatous bundle sheath extensions. Palms differed from grasses by having thicker leaves and sclerenchymatous hypodermis. In conclusion, Neotropical savannas cannot be exclusively described as scleromorphic vegetation.

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