Leaf anatomy, morphology and ecological aspects of Amaranthaceae species from Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Cara Preta, in Alto Paraíso, GO, Brazil

Authors

  • Suzane Margaret Fank-de-Carvalho Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Pós-graduação em Biologia Celular e Estrutural
  • Maria Salete Marchioretto Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Instituto Anchietano de Pesquisas
  • Sônia Nair Báo Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Laboratório de Microscopia Eletrônica

Keywords:

Cerrado, kranz anatomy, morphology, Froelichiella, Gomphrena, Pfaffia

Abstract

The Amaranthaceae family is composed of 2,360 species of which 145 are found in Brazilian vegetation. About 94 species of this family subsist in different phytofisionomies of the Cerrado Biome (a savanna-like vegetation) and 27 species are cited in Brazilian regional lists of endangered species. This work aimed to inventory and to study the leaf anatomy and morphology of the Amaranthaceae species found in one Conservation Area in Alto Paraíso, GO, relating them to the species' photosynthetic metabolism. It was found one subshrub species (Pfaffia townsendii) and five herbaceous species (Froelichiella grisea, Gomphrena hermogenesii, G. lanigera, G. prostrata and P. gnaphalioides), most of them showing pirophytic and anemocoric behavior and well developed subterraneous systems associated with leaf amphistomy. The Kranz anatomy was verified in three species (all Gomphrena genus), which indicates the C4 pathway of photosynthesis. Two species are endemic of the area (Chapada dos Veadeiros) and two are considered endangered species. The anatomy and morphology aspects are discussed in relation to the species habit, ecological behavior, life span of the aerial organs and functional data. The results indicate the Amaranthaceae importance as biodiversity indicator of open vegetation areas of Cerrado and the necessity of further research in Chapada dos Veadeiros, which has the potential to register new plant species, including endemic ones, since this work displays the seasonal behavior of some dicotyledonean herbaceous species and the difficulties to locate, identify and collect them.

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Published

2010-12-01

How to Cite

Fank-de-Carvalho, S. M., Marchioretto, M. S., & Báo, S. N. (2010). Leaf anatomy, morphology and ecological aspects of Amaranthaceae species from Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Cara Preta, in Alto Paraíso, GO, Brazil. Biota Neotropica, 10(4). Retrieved from //www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/721

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