Synchronization of leafing and reproductive phenological events in Hymenaea L. species (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae): the role of photoperiod as the trigger

Autor: Ligia Silveira Funch, Isys Mascarenhas Souza
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Brazilian Journal of Botany. 40:125-136
ISSN: 1806-9959
0100-8404
DOI: 10.1007/s40415-016-0314-7
Popis: We examined the phenology of three species of Hymenaea L. through field observations in savanna, deciduous dry forest, and ombrophilous forest environments to assess the effects of different environmental conditions on the leafing and reproductive behaviors of the plant populations there. We also used herbarium data to examine flowering aggregation for the entire genus based on the fact that the majority of its species show conserved floral attributes. This study focused on the following questions: Do phenological activities exhibit seasonality? Are there environmental triggers related to phenological events? Are leafing and reproductive events temporally aggregated in the genus? Our results indicate that Hymenaea species had similar annual patterns of phenological events, even though they grew under distinct climatic regimes. Photoperiod appears to function as the “trigger” for leafing and reproductive events in the group. The temporal aggregation of leafing and flowering events and high synchrony in different sites under distinct climatic regimes point to conservative phenological responses to the same environmental signal. This assertion was principally supported by the seasonality and aggregation of phenological events (especially flowering) even for species exposed to distinct climatic regimes. Furthermore, one of the most widely distributed species of the genus (both geographically and ecologically), Hymenaea courbaril L., demonstrated similar phenological timing, reinforcing the role of photoperiod as the principal environmental cue in the leafing and reproductive strategies of the genus.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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