Relationships Between Fire Response, Morphology, Root Anatomy and Starch Distribution in South-west Australian Epacridaceae

Root traits explain different foraging strategies between resprouting life histories

“…In addition, thicker roots increase the ability to penetrate into dry tough soils (Goss 1977) and the thick main axis of resprouters could allow them to reach deeper soil layers (see examples for adults in Hellmers et al 1955 andBell et al 1996). However, our seedlings of R+ species showed thicker main axis, but similar rooting depth than R-species (see also Frazer andDavis 1988, andPratt et al 2008).…”

“…Such differences were qualitatively described in field studies for both juveniles from Australian Mediterranean-type ecosystems (Pate et al 1990) and adults of the Epacridaceae family (Bell et al 1996); in the latter case, the differences were related with climatic conditions. Our quantitative approach conducted in common garden rules out environmental heterogeneity as the driver for the differences in lateral spread between resprouting life histories.…”

Anatomy of the underground system in Vernonia grandiflora Less. and V. brevifolia Less. (Asteraceae)

“…Its flora contains a large part of the tropical biodiversity and, like that of all savannas, it is fireresistant and shows all the usual adaptations (Ratter et al, 1997), such as thick corky bark, tunicate leaf-bases in grasses, bud-forming underground organs etc (Coutinho, 1990;Jeník, 1994;Ratter et al, 1997). The presence of underground systems, which produce buds and accumulate reserve compounds, is one of the several adaptive strategies in plants exposed to harsh conditions (Figueiredo-Ribeiro et al, 1986;Pate et al, 1990;Bowen and Pate, 1993;Bell et al, 1996). In plants from the Cerrado, the high fructan content and its variation in composition and content throughout the phenological cycle, mainly during sprouting, flowering and frutification, suggest that this carbohydrate is a reserve compound which contributes to adaptive features in plants subjected to unfavourable environmental conditions regarding to the soil, water and temperature (Carvalho and Dietrich, 1993;Figueiredo-Ribeiro et al, 1991).…”

Histological features, starch accumulation and sprouting in the early root development of Jacaranda ulei (Bignoniaceae)

“…Bell et al (1996) presented clear evidence that certain features of the morphology, anatomy and nonstructural carbohydrates storage displayed by southwest Australian representatives of the Epacridaceae are preferentially correlated with fire response strategy from either the seeder species (those succumbing to fire) or resprouter species (those capable of surviving fire). Concerning nonstructural carbohydrates storage aspects, resprouter species present higher root starch values than seeders (Bell et al1996), as reported by Hoffmann et al (2004) for J. ulei, in comparison with the forest species J. puberbula.…”

“…The plant species occurring in the savanna regions of the Cerrado present typical morphological and physiological adaptations to a dry climate with seasonal occurrence of wildfires. Plant responses to fire have been examined extensively in different regions (Bell et al 1996) and the species have been characterized as fire-sensitive (those killed by fire, called seeder species) or fire-tolerant (those surviving fire, called resprouter species), according to the capacity of regenerating after the burning events (Pate et al 1991). Resprouter plants are capable to survive the complete removal of all the aerial parts by fire and to recover relatively quickly by growth of dormant buds protected from the http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-37652013109212…”