Abstract
Natural catastrophes in the planet increased over 400% from 1970 to 2005, causing severe impact on natural ecosystems, and are sought to increase in the forthcoming decades due to climate change driven events. However, the descriptions of the impacts caused by events as hailstorms on wild ecosystems are anecdotal in the tropical region. The occurrence of a severe hailstorm on a mountainous tropical environment in Brazil allowed, for the first time, to examine hailstorm impact on 32 plant species belonging to distinct families. The study was carried out in an area of rupestrian field located in Serra do Cipo, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The impact of hail on the vegetation was evaluated by an index of damage and the damage level was related to plant species architectural features. Hail impact differed strongly among the species and was influenced by plant height, growth form, leaf traits and stem type. Hailstorms are natural disturbance phenomena that have differential impacts on plants species in rupestrian fields. Key words: climate change, hailstorm damage, plant resistance, rupestrian fields, Serra do Cipo.
Highlights
Records of substantial impact and damage on nature caused by unexpected and intense climatic disturbances have been reported throughout history
In an attempt to provide the first data on the impact and relevance of hailstorm on the speciose and endemic plant community, we evaluated the level of impact of hails on 32 plant species and individual plant traits, such as plant height, growth form, leaf traits and stem type
We aimed to test the following hypotheses: (i) taller plant individuals suffer higher damage than shorter individuals because they are more exposed to hail, independent of plant species; (ii) herbaceous species are more vulnerable to the impact of hailing; and (iii) leaf traits, such as shape and arrangement, and type of stems influence on the intensity of leaf damage caused by hailstorm
Summary
Records of substantial impact and damage on nature caused by unexpected and intense climatic disturbances have been reported throughout history. Hailstorms frequently occur during the spring and summer when the temperatures are higher and more water vapor is available in the atmosphere (Berlato et al, 2000; Nobre, 2001). These phenomena can take place when the rising of the temperature in the closer atmospheric zone layers retains more water vapor causing an acceleration of the hydrologic cycle that promotes severe storms (Nobre, 2001). According to Nobre (2001) the frequency of extreme climatic events in South America is uncertain It is expected, that due to the temperature increase in the atmospheric layers near the surface, an increase in the number of hailstorms in the region. Stems can suffer intense damage or even complete re-
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