Abstract
Savannas of the Amazon Region of Mato Grosso State have an unique ecological identity due to the complexity of the Cerrado-Amazon transition region, their geographical isolation and the physical-chemical properties of the soil. This study aimed to characterize the leaf anatomy of Xylopia aromatica, and to identify potential adaptive traits to the xeric environment. We collected adult leaves from X. aromatica from a Amazonian savannah located in the Nova Canãa do Norte city, Mato Grosso. The leaves were fixed and stored in 70% ethanol. Cross sections were obtained by free hand with the aid of a razor blade, stained with astra blue and basic fuchsin, and mounted on histological slides. Characters considered adaptive: thick cuticle, epidermal cells with thickened walls, the presence of silica in the epidermis, trichomes, hypostomatic leaves, stomata on the same level as the other epidermal cells, presence of hypodermis, and dorsiventral mesophyll with palisade parenchyma occupying more than 50%. The anatomical characters presented are of great importance for the establishment and development of X. aromatica in xeric environments. They contribute to the protection of the leaves from many biotic and abiotic factors to which they are subjected, thus ensuring the species survival in the savannic environment.
Highlights
Savannas of the Amazon Region of Mato Grosso State have their own unique ecological identity due to the complexity of the Cerrado-Amazon transition region, their geographical isolation and the physicalchemical properties of the soil (Ferreira et al, 2015; Simioni, Eisenlohr, Pessoa, & Silva, 2017)
Leaves of X. aromatica are hypostomatic with paracytic stomata that appear at the same level as the epidermal cells (Figure 1A, B and I)
The outline of the walls of the epidermal cells is straight and silica is present in the adaxial face (Figure 1A, B and I)
Summary
Savannas of the Amazon Region of Mato Grosso State have their own unique ecological identity due to the complexity of the Cerrado-Amazon transition region, their geographical isolation and the physicalchemical properties of the soil (Ferreira et al, 2015; Simioni, Eisenlohr, Pessoa, & Silva, 2017). Distant and isolated geographically, Amazonian savannas share floristic similarities with the Cerrado of the Brazilian Central Highlands, with a lower level of endemism, richness and diversity of species (Barbosa, Campos, Pinto, & Fearnside, 2007, Abadia et al, 2018). Indicator traits of the strategy of drought avoidance include deep roots, small or strongly lobulated leaves, small mesophyll cells, thick cell walls and cuticles, multiseriate epidermis, strongly developed palisade parenchyma, stomata sunken or in crypts, and abundant trichomes (Valladares, Gianoli, & Gómez, 2007; Rossatto, Hoffmann, & Franco, 2009; Fang & Xiong, 2015)
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