Branch elongation and diameter growth were temporally dissociatedin "cerrado" tree species

Rossatto, Davi Rodrigo

doi:10.1590/s2236-89062009000300005

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(12 reference statements)

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“…In theory, stress tolerance is associated with a suite of functional traits related to defense and longevity, including slow growth, extended leaf-lifespan, reduced allocation to reproduction, and minimal plasticity (Grime 2006;Stanton et al 2000). Myrothamnus flabellifolia exhibits many of these characteristic phenotypes, including low growth rates (plants put on only 3.34±0.37 cm of annual branch growth compared to elongation rates of 5-15 cm reported for other species (Rossatto et al 2009;Rossatto 2009) and low SLA (mean SLA is 8.3±0.29 in M. flabellifolia relative to 25.6±1 0.63 reported in a meta analyses across functional classes (Pierce et al 2013)). In addition, M. flabellifolia plants were found to be extremely stress tolerant across all study sites.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-tuning functional syndromes for stressful environments: lessons on survival from the South African resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia

Mbobe

Greyling²,

Pretorius³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Resilience to abiotic stress is associated with a suite of functional traits related to defense and longevity. Stress tolerant plants are generally slow growing with extended leave lifespans and reduced allocation to reproduction. Resurrection plants are ideal systems to test for trade-offs associated with stress tolerance due to their extreme resiliency. While, growth defense trade-offs are well-characterized, few studies have tested for natural variation associated with tolerating the harshest environments. Here, we surveyed a suite of functional traits related to stress tolerance, leaf economics, and reproductive allocation in natural populations of the South African resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia. We selected three distinct field sites in South Africa ranging from mesic to xeric. Despite considerable environmental variation across the study area, M. flabellifolia plants were extremely and similarly stress tolerant at all sites. However, we detected notable variation in other life history and morphological traits. Plants in more mesic sites were larger, faster growing, and had more inflorescences. In contrast, plants from the most xeric sites appeared to invest more in persistence and defense, with lower growth rates and less reproductive allocation. Together, this suggests that desiccation tolerance is a binary trait in M. flabellifolia with little natural variation, but that other phenotypes are more labile. The trait syndromes exhibited by plants at the different study sites align with general expectations about growth defense tradeoffs associated with the colonization of extreme environments. We show that plants from the least stressful sites are more reproductive and faster growing, whereas plants from the most stressful sites were slower growing and less reproductive. These findings suggest that M. flabellifolia plants are finely tuned to their environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-tuning functional syndromes for stressful environments: lessons on survival from the South African resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia

Mbobe

Greyling²,

Pretorius³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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show abstract

“…2004). The differences found between evergreens and deciduous trees in their time behavior should affect diameter growth, as Rossatto (2009) demonstrated that radial growth starts only after shoot growth and leaf production have been consummated. In this way differences in time behavior between phenological groups should also be reflected in their patterns of biomass increment in radial growth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal patterns of leaf production in co‐occurring trees with contrasting leaf phenology: time and quantitative divergences

Rossatto

2012

Plant Species Biology

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Neotropical savannas ('cerrados') of Central Brazil are characterized by the coexistence of a large diversity of tree species with divergent phenological behaviors, which reflect a great diversity in growth strategies. In the present study time behavior and quantitative aspects of shoot growth, shoot mortality, and leaf longevity and production were analyzed in 12 woody species of contrasting leaf phenology, adopting a functional group approach where 12 species were categorized into three functional groups: evergreen, decidous and brevideciduous, according to their leaf phenology. Shoot growth and leaf production were seasonal for the three functional groups, differing in their time of occurrence, but being concentrated during the last months of the dry season. Shoot growth differed between evergreens and deciduous, as well leaf production. Evergreens had higher rates of shoot growth, produced a higher number of leaves and had longer leaf longevity (around 500 days against 300 days in deciduous and brevideciduous). Leaf longevity was associated with patterns of leaf production when accounting for all phenological groups studied. It was possible to identify different patterns of aerial growth in savanna phenological groups, providing evidence of great functional variability amongst the groups studied. Fig. 1 Average monthly rainfall (mm) and temperature (°C) at the study site between July/2006 and June/2007. , rainfall; , average temperature.

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“…In the cerrado, there are few studies regarding plant architecture, and most of them concern shoot growth (Rossato & Franco 2008;Souza et al 2009a;b;Rossato 2009;Rossato et al 2009). Only four studies deal with whole crown architecture (Souza et al 2011;Santos et al 2012) or modular growth (Damascos et al 2005;Damascos 2008) of woody cerrado species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence of the effects of fire on branching and leaf development in cerrado trees

2017

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We discuss evidence of eff ects of an accidental fi re on shoot growth and leaf development in six cerrado tree species with distinct leaf phenologies. Buds of all six species were marked before shoot and leaf emergence in the dry season. After fi re, leaf and shoot growth were monitored weekly and specifi c leaf area (SLA) was determined. Shoot order was determined in the growing season. Evergreens and semideciduous woody species had rapid leaf and shoot growth and decreased leaf life span (LLS) after fi re compared with published data for evergreens in cerrado areas without fi re. On the other hand, Kielmeyera variabilis, a deciduous species, showed intense branching and produced two orders of shoots in one growing season. Fires promote rapid leaf and shoot growth in evergreens owing to reserve accumulations that allow survivorship after disturbances. However, the leaves produced by evergreens after fi re had high SLAs and were discarded before the next rainy season (short LLS). Th is leaf cohort was produced with less carbon per leaf, and the decreased LLS prevented herbivory and water loss during the dry season. Fire is an important factor of cerrado environments, infl uencing leaf production and shoot architecture in cerrado trees.

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Branch elongation and diameter growth were temporally dissociatedin "cerrado" tree species

Cited by 3 publications

References 26 publications

Fine-tuning functional syndromes for stressful environments: lessons on survival from the South African resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia

Fine-tuning functional syndromes for stressful environments: lessons on survival from the South African resurrection plant Myrothamnus flabellifolia

Seasonal patterns of leaf production in co‐occurring trees with contrasting leaf phenology: time and quantitative divergences

Evidence of the effects of fire on branching and leaf development in cerrado trees

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