Which Extent is Plasticity to Light Involved in the Ecotypic Differentiation of a Tree Species from Savanna and Forest?

• Published in: Biotropica Vol. 43; no. 6; pp. 695 - 703
• Main Authors: Goulart, Maíra F., Lovato, Maria B., de Vasconcellos Barros, Fernanda, Valladares, Fernando, Lemos-Filho, José P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.11.2011; Wiley Subscription Services; Wiley
• Subjects: Adaptability; Adaptations; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Brazilian Atlantic Forest; Brazilian Cerrado; Cerrado; Chlorophylls; common garden; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Cores; Differentiation; ecotone; Ecotones; ecotypes; Environmental factors; Forest habitats; Forestry; Forests; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; General forest ecology; Generalities. Production, biomass. Quality of wood and forest products. General forest ecology; Habitat; Light effects; Light intensity; Maintenance; Mimosoideae; natural populations; Phenotypic plasticity; Phenotypic traits; Physiology; Plants; Plathymenia; Plathymenia reticulata; Population characteristics; Savannahs; Seeds; Stress; Sunlight; Trees; Tropical rain forests; South America; Brazil; America; Garden; Forests; Brazilian Atlantic Forest; Tropical zone; Phenotypic plasticity; Plathymenia reticulata; common garden; Biome; Ecotone; Light; Atlantic Façade; Savanna woodland; Ecotype; Cerrado; Differentiation; Brazilian Cerrado

Light intensity and heterogeneity are some of the main environmental factors that differ between forest and savanna habitats, and plant species from these habitats form distinct functional types. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that not only differences in morphological and physiological tra...