Abstract
Abstract The wide distribution of Maprounea guianensis populations in contrasting environments (dry and humid forests) in the Chapada Diamantina, northeastern Brazil, can indicate the phenotypic plasticity of this species in relation to seasonal rainfall, drought regimes, and soil characteristics at different sites. Functional traits were measured in five individuals in each vegetation types. Water potential, succulence, thickness and density leaf, were evaluated during the dry and rainy periods; wood density and the saturated water content of the wood were evaluated in rainy period. Rainfall was monitored monthly for two years. The functional traits and the phenotypic plasticity indices (PPI) were submitted to analysis of variance. Our results demonstrated seasonal and spatial variations in plant functional traits. We found a low capacity for storing water in leaves and woody tissues, associated with soil properties and the seasonal rainfall/drought regimes, conditioning water potential variations that were greatest during the rainy season. Local environmental parameters influenced variations in the functional traits of M. guianensis populations, reflecting phenotypic plasticity. We highlight the connections between drought regimes and plant responses, demonstrating the importance of functional traits associated with water availability (especially water potential). Our study evidences the factors associated with the wide distribution of M. guianensis.
Highlights
Species occupying heterogeneous environments are subject to selective pressures that very either temporally or spatially (Simons 2011; Botero et al 2015), and must develop generalist phenotypes or show phenotypic plasticity to adapt to disparate environmental conditions (Ganie et al 2014; Sultan 1987)
Maprounea guianensis exhibited different ecological strategies in dry and humid forests related to water availability traits
The phenotypic plasticity of M. guianensis was conditioned by variations of the physical soil properties and rainfall regimes
Summary
Species occupying heterogeneous environments are subject to selective pressures that very either temporally or spatially (Simons 2011; Botero et al 2015), and must develop generalist phenotypes or show phenotypic plasticity to adapt to disparate environmental conditions (Ganie et al 2014; Sultan 1987). Phenotypic plasticity can be considered adaptive if it promotes a direct and positive impact on the plant’s fitness (Nicrota et al 2010) Such variations can allow a species to grow and reproduce in contrasting sites, as there are improvements in the plants’ performances that can increase and facilitate their distributions in heterogeneous environments (Nicotra et al 2010). As such, quantifying phenotypic plasticity can provide essential information about the mechanisms affecting the current and future distributions of plant species (Choi et al 2018) This is especially the case for plant functional aspects, such as those related to water stress resistance (hydraulic properties of the stem, leaf characteristics, and water use patterns) (Rosado & Mattos 2007; Toledo et al 2012; Worbes et al 2013). Many of them reported that plants are able to maintain their water balances through changes in specific root and leaf traits (Dolman 1993; Rosado 2006)
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