Woody encroachment and leaf functional traits of ground-layer savanna species

IF 1.7 4区 生物学 Q3 ECOLOGY Flora Pub Date : 2025-03-07 DOI:10.1016/j.flora.2025.152709
Pedro Firme da Cruz Júnior , Luiz Felipe Souza Pinheiro , Davi Rodrigo Rossatto , Rosana Marta Kolb
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Abstract

Changes in pyrodynamics, such as fire suppression, drive woody encroachment in savanna and grassland ecosystems worldwide. The filters imposed by encroachment promote floristic changes in the ground-layer community, decreasing species richness, and providing species replacement. However, functional aspects are still poorly understood, especially the role of leaf anatomical traits. Thus, our aim was to investigate the leaf trait changes in the ground-layer community of a Cerrado area in response to changes in litter and light, caused by woody encroachment. Through a field experiment, we simulated higher amounts of litter biomass and increased shading of the plant community for 2.5 years. We measured leaf tissue thickness, specific leaf area (SLA), pigment concentration and photosynthetic traits, such as carbon assimilation (Amax), stomatal conductance (gs) and quantum efficiency of photosynthesis (α). Our results showed that shading is the main factor altering leaf functional traits, with the post-shading ground-layer community exhibiting more acquisitive resource-use strategies such as reduced leaf tissue thickness, higher SLA, and higher pigment concentration compared to plants under non-encroached conditions. However, these leaf responses were not sufficient to ensure the maintenance of higher photosynthetic performance (Amax, gs and α) in the study species. Therefore, we demonstrate that the studied leaf functional traits of the ground-layer community are insufficient to ensure persistence and diversity in this new scenario. With the change in species composition promoted by encroachment, some shade-tolerant and generalist plants exhibit responses that contribute to their survival and occurrence.
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来源期刊
Flora
Flora 生物-植物科学
CiteScore
3.30
自引率
10.50%
发文量
130
审稿时长
54 days
期刊介绍: FLORA publishes original contributions and review articles on plant structure (morphology and anatomy), plant distribution (incl. phylogeography) and plant functional ecology (ecophysiology, population ecology and population genetics, organismic interactions, community ecology, ecosystem ecology). Manuscripts (both original and review articles) on a single topic can be compiled in Special Issues, for which suggestions are welcome. FLORA, the scientific botanical journal with the longest uninterrupted publication sequence (since 1818), considers manuscripts in the above areas which appeal a broad scientific and international readership. Manuscripts focused on floristics and vegetation science will only be considered if they exceed the pure descriptive approach and have relevance for interpreting plant morphology, distribution or ecology. Manuscripts whose content is restricted to purely systematic and nomenclature matters, to geobotanical aspects of only local interest, to pure applications in agri-, horti- or silviculture and pharmacology, and experimental studies dealing exclusively with investigations at the cellular and subcellular level will not be accepted. Manuscripts dealing with comparative and evolutionary aspects of morphology, anatomy and development are welcome.
期刊最新文献
Editorial Board Woody encroachment and leaf functional traits of ground-layer savanna species Characteristics of artificial pollination of large-flowered species of Coelogyne Lindl. (Orchidaceae) under greenhouse conditions Environmental and physiological factors influencing seed longevity of three Brazilian endemic cacti during in situ storage Parallel floral evolution of Lilium species pollinated by pierid butterflies
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