ECOLOGIC FEATURES OF WOOD ANATOMY OF Casearia sylvestris SW (Salicaceae) IN THREE BRAZILIAN ECOSYSTEMS

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Graciene da Silva Mota
Luiz Eduardo de Lima Melo
Alessandra de Oliveira Ribeiro
Anderson Oliveira Selvati
Helena Pereira
Fabio Akira Mori

Abstract

Casearia sylvestris SW (Salicaceae) is a highly adaptive perennial species that is found throughout Latin America and widely spread in Brazil. This work analyzed the ecological features of wood anatomy of C. sylvestris occurring in three ecosystem types: Cerrado, Gallery Forest (Northern of Minas Gerais) and Mata Atlântica (Southern of Minas Gerais). Qualitative features were similar among plants in the three ecosystems, differing only in the distribution of pith flecks and neighboring tyloses that were more frequent in Cerrado and Gallery Forest. The quantitative results showed significant differences for several parameters, as well as variation between individuals of vegetation types of Northern and Southern of Minas Gerais. The correlation matrix of variables including quantitative anatomical characteristics, soil characteristics, height and diameter of the plants showed that plants were grouped by ecosystem type. Casearia sylvestris might adopt different survival strategies regarding safety and efficiency of water transport by wood anatomy ecological adaptation. The adaptive anatomical features to drought were mostly an increase of vessel frequency and an increase of ray width and frequency.

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Author Biographies

Graciene da Silva Mota, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Departamento de Ciências Florestais

Luiz Eduardo de Lima Melo, University of the State of Pará, Brazil

Laboratório de Ciência e Tecnologia da Madeira
Liga Acadêmica de Ciência e Tecnologia da Madeira

Alessandra de Oliveira Ribeiro, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Departamento de Biologia

Anderson Oliveira Selvati, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Departamento de Administração e Economia

Fabio Akira Mori, Federal University of Lavras, Brazil

Departamento de Ciências Florestais