Photosynthetic and anatomical responses of three plant species at two altitudinal levels in the Neotropical savannah
Vinícius Coelho Kuster A , Silvana Aparecida Barbosa de Castro B and Fernando Henrique Aguiar Vale A C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Departamento de Botânica – Laboratório de Anatomia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas – Avenida Antônio Carlos, No. 6627 – Pampulha – CEP: 31270-901. Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais – Brasil.
B Departamento de Biologia Geral (Ecologia) – Laboratório de Fisiologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas – Avenida Antônio Carlos, No. 6627 – Pampulha – CEP: 31270-901. Belo Horizonte – Minas Gerais – Brasil.
C Corresponding author. Email: fvale@icb.ufmg.br
Australian Journal of Botany 64(8) 696-703 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT15280
Submitted: 10 December 2015 Accepted: 1 November 2016 Published: 2 December 2016
Abstract
The phytophysiognomies of the Neotropical savannah occur at different altitudes, which can determine distinctions in the levels of light and shade that plants are exposed. The focus of the study is analysing the functional traits of the leaves of Byrsonima verbascifolia (L.) Rich., Roupala montana Aubl. and Solanum lycocarpum A. St.-Hil. growing in phytophysiognomies at two distinct altitudes. We evaluated leaf anatomy, the quantum yield of photosystem II, and the photosynthetic pigments in plants occurring at two areas of Campo sujo, which are separated by 700 m of altitude, during the rainy season. The three plant species occurring at higher altitudes had thicker adaxial epidermis. B. verbascifolia and S. lycocarpum occurring at higher altitudes had thicker palisade parenchyma, whereas only B. verbascifolia had thicker spongy parenchyma at the same site. The quantum yield of photosystem II, and photosynthetic pigments had little differences between plants occurring at higher and lower altitudes. The results analysed show high structural modifications and low physiological alterations from altitudinal conditions. Thus, the influence of the abiotic factors appears to modulate the plastic responses of plants across altitude.
Additional keywords: Byrsonima verbascifolia, Campo sujo, Roupala montana, rupestrian field, Solanum lycocarpum.
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