Reproductive phenology of two co-occurring Neotropical mountain grasslands - Archive ouverte HAL Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Journal of Vegetation Science Année : 2018

Reproductive phenology of two co-occurring Neotropical mountain grasslands

Résumé

Aim: Climate tends to explain phenological variations in tropical ecosystems. However, water availability and nutrient content in soil strongly affect plant communities, especially those on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs), and may impact these ecosystems’ plant reproductive phenology over time. Here, we compare the reproductive phenology of sandy and stony tropical grasslands, two co‐occurring herbaceous communities of the campo rupestreOCBILs. We asked whether flowering, fruiting and dispersal are seasonal in both grasslands, and whether these phenophases differ due to variations in soil properties. We also asked whether the phenological strategies and the number of flowers and fruits differ between these two grasslands as soil conditions vary. Location: Serra do Cipó, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: The phenology of herbaceous species of sandy and stony grasslands was monitored monthly over two consecutive years. Results: Plants on sandy and stony grasslands flowered and fruited throughout the year. We did not find a distinct seasonal pattern at the community level of either studied grassland. However, flowering, fruiting and seed dissemination occurred in stony grasslands mainly during the rainy season, while sandy grassland species flowered in both seasons and fruited and disseminated seed mainly during the dry season, as observed in other savanna vegetation types in the Cerrado. Flower and fruit production was higher in sandy grasslands than in stony grasslands, which may be linked to higher water retention in sandy grassland soils. In both communities, species of Cyperaceae, Eriocaulaceae and Xyridaceae contributed most to overall production, whereas Poaceae and Velloziaceae, two important families in campo rupestre, barely participated in the reproductive phenology during our 2‐yr survey.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
LeStradicJVS_postprint.pdf (586.99 Ko) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)

Dates et versions

hal-01795475 , version 1 (18-05-2018)

Identifiants

Citer

Soizig Le Stradic, Elise Buisson, Geraldo Wilson Fernandes, Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira Morellato. Reproductive phenology of two co-occurring Neotropical mountain grasslands. Journal of Vegetation Science, 2018, 29 (1), pp.15-24. ⟨10.1111/jvs.12596⟩. ⟨hal-01795475⟩
108 Consultations
89 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More