Reproductive phenology in dry and wet grassland in an area of Cerrado at southeastern Brazil, Itirapina - SP

Authors

  • João L. S. Tannus Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica
  • Marco A. Assis Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica
  • L.Patrícia C. Morellato Universidade Estadual Paulista, Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Botânica

Keywords:

Brazilian savanna, dispersal modes, flowering, fruiting, life forms

Abstract

The Cerrado plant species present periodic variations in its growth and reproduction usually closely related to climate seasonality. This study aimed to compare the reproductive phenology (flowering and fruiting) of plant species from a dry and a wet grassland in a Cerrado (Brazilian savanna) area at southeastern Brazil (Itirapina, SP) in order to answer the following questions: (i) do the plant species of each physiognomy flower and fruit seasonally? (ii) are the phenological patterns similar, in each physiognomy, among different life forms? (iii) do the physiognomies differ in respect to the proportion of species according to seed dispersal modes? (iv) do the physiognomies differ in respect to the fruiting patterns according to seed dispersal modes? (v) is the reproductive phenology of the species in each physiognomy, according to its life forms and dispersal modes, correlated to the climatic seasonality? We analyzed the vouchers included in the collection of the Herbarium of the Instituto de Biociências de Rio Claro, Universidade Estadual Paulista - UNESP from 1983 to 2005. The plant species were classified into life forms (woody and herbaceous) and dispersal modes (anemo, auto and zoochorous). In both physiognomies the phenological patterns were very seasonal, usually with a peak during the wet season, but differing according to the life form and dispersal mode. The observed differences were related to the environmental conditions of each physiognomy, mainly to the patterns of soil drainage. Phenological patterns were largely influenced by life forms, but the dispersal modes did not show the expected fruiting patterns, based on other studies of different Cerrado areas, emphasizing the importance of conducting detailed field phenological studies in dry and wet grasslands.

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Published

2006-01-01

How to Cite

Tannus, J. L. S., Assis, M. A., & Morellato, L. C. (2006). Reproductive phenology in dry and wet grassland in an area of Cerrado at southeastern Brazil, Itirapina - SP. Biota Neotropica, 6(3). Retrieved from //www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/236

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