Can climate and soil conditions change the morpho-anatomy among individuals from different localities? A case study in Aldama grandiflora (Asteraceae)

Abstract

Vegetative aerial organs are considerably more exposed to environmental conditions and can reflect the specific adaptations of plants to their local environment. Aldama grandiflora species are known to be widely distributed in Brazil; therefore, individuals from different populations of this species are thought to be exposed to different abiotic and biotic conditions. Several anatomical studies conducted on Brazilian Aldama species have mainly focused on the qualitative anatomical characters or traits of these species, but not on their quantitative traits. In this study, we evaluated whether climate and soil conditions can change the morphometry among individuals of A. grandiflora collected from six sites in the Goiás State, Brazil, by assessing their anatomical characters. Further, soil sampling was performed, and climate data were collected from all the six sites. The analysis indicated few statistical differences among the populations evaluated, showing that A. grandiflora presented consistent leaf and stem anatomical characteristics. The small morpho-anatomical differences found among individuals of the different populations evaluated, reflected the soil conditions in which these populations were grown. Therefore, environmental factors have a significant influence on the morpho-anatomy of Aldama grandiflora.Keywords: cerrado, Compositae, morphometry, phenotypic plasticity, leaf anatomy. Condições climáticas e de solo podem alterar a morfo-anatomia entre indivíduos de diferentes localidades? Um estudo de caso emAldama grandiflora (Asteraceae) ResumoOs órgãos vegetativos aéreos estão consideravelmente mais expostos às condições ambientais e podem refletir as adaptações específicas das plantas ao seu habitat. A espécie Aldama grandiflora é amplamente distribuída no Brasil e, dessa forma, indivíduos de diferentes populações podem estar expostos a diferentes condições ambientais. Vários estudos anatômicos realizados com espécies brasileiras do gênero Aldama têm abordado, principalmente, as características anatômicas qualitativas dessas espécies, mas não em suas características quantitativas. Neste estudo avaliamos se as condições climáticas e do solo podem alterar a morfometria entre os indivíduos de A. grandiflora coletados em seis populações do Estado de Goiás. Foram avaliados os caracteres anatômicos foliares e caulinares, além da amostragem do solo e coleta de dados climáticos, para os seis locais. A análise indicou algumas diferenças estatísticas entre as populações avaliadas, mostrando que A. grandiflora apresentou características anatômicas foliares e caulinares bastante consistentes.As pequenas diferenças morfo-anatômicas encontradas entre indivíduos das diferentes populações avaliadas, refletiram as condições do solo nos quais essas populações se desenvolveram. Assim sendo, fatores ambientais relacionados ao clima e condições do solo têm uma influência significativa sobre a morfo-anatomia de Aldama grandiflora.

Leaf Morphoanatomy of Diploon Cronquist (Sapotaceae Juss.)

“…The thickness and number of layers of the palisade parenchyma are usually related to the habitat of the individual species, and it is mainly affected by the humidity and the extent of luminous intensity (Hlwatika & Bhat 2002, Rossatto & Kolb 2010Schmidt et al 2017;Muniz et al 2018). However, the number of layers is fixed for some species (Solereder 1908).…”

Leaf Traits of Calophyllum inophyllum L. (Calophyllaceae) in Different Locations Suggest Suitability for Planting Outside of Natural Habitat

“…With this sample size, three distinct clusters of varieties were observed. The morpho-anatomy of Aldama grandiflora (Asteraceae) across its wide distribution in Brazil (Muniz et al 2018) with 10 sampled plants per location (6) and, despite showing small morpho-anatomical differences among individuals of the different populations, was reflected in the varying soil conditions in which the populations were grown.…”

“…The effects of PPT may be easily rendered on vascular tissues in stems, as shown inCaderi et al (2019) for some species like Pinus kesiya, but not on vascular tissues extending through the leaves. In a number of studies related to the characters of the vascular system, such as those that determine the efficiency of water and resistance, vascular tissues may exhibit variation in response to changes in the RH and temperature, as well as salinity; hence, they are crucial to be maintained in their habitat (reviewed inMuniz et al 2018). Phloem may have a similar tendency but studies on phloem tissue formation in response to changes in environmental conditions such as temperature, RH, and light seem relatively less explored compared to the xylem.…”

Leaf Morpho-Anatomical and Physiological Plasticity of Two Vriesea Species (Bromeliaceae) in Atlantic Coast Restingas (Brazil) / Plasticidade Morfoanatômica E Fisiológica Foliar De Duas Espécies De Vriesea (Bromeliaceae) Em Restingas Da Costa Atlântica (Brasil)

“…The capacity of a genotype to show different phenotypes in response to different environmental stimuli is referred to as phenotypical plasticity (Gianoli & Valladares 2012;Bächtold & Melo Júnior 2015;Amorim & Melo Júnior 2017;Cabral et al 2018;Muniz et al 2018). Environmental parameters, including luminosity, may lead to structural and functional responses among Bromeliaceae individuals so as to provide them with adaptive phenotypical plasticity (Haslam et al 2003;Skillman et al 2005;Cavallero et al 2009).…”

“…Knowledge of these responses to different environments can allow better understanding about ecological processes and more effective planning of handling and conservation programs in protected areas (Pereira 2002;Almeida et al 2004). In this setting, morpho-anatomical and leaf physiological characteristics, such as leaf inclination in relation to the ground (Valladares et al 2002), succulence (Jones 2011;Amorim & Melo Júnior 2017), density of trichomes (Martin 1985;Batagin et al 2009), stomatal density (Pereira et al 2013, Muniz et al 2018, chlorophyllian tissue thickness (Terashima et al 2006), and photosynthetic pigment content (Martin 1985) have been used as predictors of ecology and the habitat that these plants occupy.…”