Trait variation of a generalist tree species (Eremanthus erythropappus, Asteraceae) in two adjacent mountain habitats: savanna and cloud forest

Abstract

Cloud forests and savannas differ in several environmental aspects, particularly in light irradiance and water availability. Such differences can be selective for specific sets of leaves and architectural strategies to capture light and use water. In the present study we evaluated functional traits variation in a generalist species in two adjacent habitats experiencing an abrupt change in resource availability (light and water availability). We collected several leaf, stem and architectural traits of the tree species Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish in shrubland savanna (habitat facing higher drought stress and wind exposure) and cloud forest (shaded environment). Trees in the shrubland savanna exhibited functional trait values that enhance drought tolerance (i.e. higher wood density and leaf thickness) whereas trees in the cloud forest exhibited functional trait values that enhance light capture (i.e. taller individuals with higher leaf area and specific leaf area). Additionally, the individuals in the shrubland savanna had wider and deeper crowns, pointing that the benefits of a larger canopy area to capture light during the day and humidity from condensation at night exceed the higher risk of mechanical damage by falling debris due to high wind exposure. For all traits, variation among the individuals was lower than variation among habitats. Our results indicate the strong role of the environment as a driver of intraspecific variation and that architectural traits (usually poorly studied compared with other traits) should be included as an important parameter of variation in functional analyses when evaluating the effect of environmental conditions on tree performance.

Light conditions affect Myrcia splendens (Sw.) DC. functional traits in an Atlantic Forest, Southeast, Brazil

“…Studies of morphological variation into areas with different luminosity conditions showed such similarity to the traits found in our study when considering species with great adaptability (Borges et al 2019, Krupek & Lima 2012, Silva et al 2019. In this sense, the adaptative variations of Myrcia splendens allow its occurrence in different vegetation types, since the individual is able to explore new niches with efficiency (Amorim & Melo Júnior 2016).…”

Large Trees Driving Neighbourhood Assembly Through Simultaneous Facilitative and Competitive Effects in a Woodland Savanna

“…All functional data were obtained from data compilation for each species (Martins & Batalha 2006, Cianciaruso et al 2012, Prado-Junior et al 2016, except for crown length ratio that was measured during our sampling. Crown length ratio was measured as the ratio between the height of lower foliage and the height of each individual sapling surrounding the large tree (Borges et al 2018).…”

Contrasting Vegetation Gradient Effects Explain the Differences in Leaf Traits Among Woody Plant Communities in the Amazonia-Cerrado Transition

“…Trees display different ecological strategies in response to contrasting habitats under distinct environmental stresses (Borges et al 2019). Ecological strategies are expressed as a balance between functional traits and the environment, driven by environmental constraints, which may favour different sets of traits (Wright et al 2006).…”

“…Functional traits are morpho-physiological-phenological characteristics that directly or indirectly affect plant performance through their effects on growth, survival, and reproduction (Violle et al 2007). Such adaptations are essential for the survival and expansion of species ecological limits (Ghalambor et al 2007), and are governed by modi cations in leaf traits, which enable species to overcome different environmental lters (Borges et al 2019), particularly associated with resource availability, such as water, nutrients, and light (Wellstein et al 2017). The coordinated relationship between functional traits can be expressed in a gradient of strategies that ranges from fast acquisition to e cient resource conservation (Wright et al 2004;Reich 2014).…”