Functional Traits in the Arboreal Component of the Cerrado Vegetable Community

Abstract

The current study aimed to describe functional attributes of arboreal species in fragments of sensu stricto Cerrado areas with a transition to Cerradão in Ipameri – GO to describe which characteristics are more representative in these phytophysiognomies. Ten individuals were sampled for each of the twenty arboreous species most commonly found in the region. Functional attributes related to the architecture of the aerial part of the tree and functional leaf traits were collected. Once the functional traits were evaluated, an analysis of variance and a posterior Tukey test at 0.5% were performed. Then, the data were standardized, and the species were functionally grouped. The results showed great variability of the functional characteristics forming two groups of species with similar characteristics. Group 1 was constituted by species with functional traits proper to survival in adverse environmental conditions, such as poor soils, seasonality, and natural or provoked incidents, like fire. Group 2, on the other hand, apparently points to functional traits related to success and investment in height growth, as well as greater photosynthetic capacity and adaptations to shading conditions. The functional traits studied indicated the occurrence of a great diversity of adaptations between species. Therefore, it is possible to say that both groups of species are important for maintaining these phytophysiognomies in the landscape.