Germinação, crescimento, atividade fotossintetica e translocação de compostos de carbono em especies arboreas tropicais : estudo comparativo e influencia de sombreamento natural

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

1996

RESUMO

Gennination, growth, photosynthesis and translocation of carbon in tropical tree species: a comparative study and the influence of natural shade. Light has been recognized as a major factor in species replacement during secondary sucession in forests. The degree of shade tolerance may be important in detennining successional sequences, since these are conditioned by species ability/inability to adjust to the prevailing environrnental conditions. The objective of this study was to verify and to compare germination, growth, photosynthesis and translocation of carbon in a number of tropical tree species of different succesional status and to verify, under experimental field conditions, the influence of natural shade on these responses. The species selected for the study were Solanum granuloso leprosum, Trema micrantha, Cecropia glazioui, Croton priscus, Bauhinia forjicata subsp. prutnosa, Senna macranthera, Schizolobium parahyba, Piptadenia gonoacantha, Pseudobombax grandiflorum, Chorisia speciosa, Ficus guaranitica, Esenbeckia leiocarpa, Pachystroma longifolium, Myroxylon peruiferum and Hymenaea courbaril. Field experiments were carried out at the forest of the Reserva Municipal de Santa Genebra, Campinas, SP, whose light environrnents at the understory and open sites were characterized by measurements of spectral distribution of radiation. Germination of these fifteen species was carried out under controlled light/dark conditions and in the field at the forest edge and understory. Positive photoblastism was detected basically in small-seeded early-successional species, such as S. granuloso-leprosum and C. glazioui; in T. micrantha, although likely, the ocurrence of positive photoblastism could not be conclusively demonstrated. A light requirement for germination promotion was also presented by the small seeds of F guaranitica; all the other species, with larger seeds, were light-indifferent for gennination. Other donnancy mechanisms, not light-related, were also more frequent in early successional species. In field experirnents, all species, even those with photoblastic seeds, were able to germinate in the shaded understory of the forest, where low red/far-red ratios were predominant. However, subsequent evaluation of seedling survival indicated that late-successional species, like E. leiocarpa and M peruiferum, had higher survival rates than early species. None of the species, not even the most shade-tolerant ones, survived better in the understory than the forest edge. M. peruiferum stood out by showing total seedling survival in the understory. For growth evaluation, plants of all the species studied were grown in the greenhouse and in the field, under conditions of fulI sun and natural shade imposed by the plant canopy. Artificial shade, imposed by layers of neutra I screen, providing a similar decrease of the photon flux density as natural shade, but without changes in red/far-red ratio, was also utilized. S. granuloso-leprosum and T. micrantha did not survive under one of the shade treatments. AlI the other species partially or totalIy survived under shade and, under these conditions, exhibited a series of growth alterations. In general, decreases in plant height, intemode number, dry weight and totalleaf area were observed, as welI as decreases in relative growth rates, net assimilation rates and root/shoot ratios, with increases in leaf area ratio, leaf weight ratio and specific leaf area. Despite this general trend, variation in exhibition and extent of these responses were presented by the fifteen species studied. Late-successional species, like E. leiocarpa, H. courbaril and specialIy M peruiferum showed less pronounced responses to shade treatment, revealing a smalIer degree of phenotypic plasticity. The majority of evaluated growth parameters was influenced similarly by artificial and natural shade treatments; different responses to these treatments were also observed, however, these were quite variable dependent on parameters and species. Late-successional species exhibited relatively slower growth than early species under shaded and non-shaded conditions. T. micrantha stood out, among alI species, by its high growth rates. Photosynthesis and related parameters were evaluated in six species - C. glazioui, S. parahyba, C. speciosa, E. leiocarpa, M. peruiferum and H. courbaril - which were grown in the greenhouse and under conditions of fulI sun and natural shade. Maximum CO2 assimilation rates, except those presented by S. parahyba, were correlated with successional status of the species, with the greatest and the smalIest values being presented, respectively, by C. glazioui and H. courbaril. Dark respiration rates, light saturation and light compensation points tended to be greater in early species and smalIer in late ones. Stomatal conductance values, although variable, making the establishment of a general trend more difficult, were greater for C. glazioui and smaller for H. courbaril; accordingly these species exhibited the greatest and the smallest transpiration rates. Plants of alI the species, kept in the shaded understory of the forest, exhibited quite low photosynthetic rates, being able, however, to respond rapidly to abrupt increases of the light levels. In general, shaded plants showed reduced net assimilation rates and light saturation points, besides greater decreases of photosynthetic activity under high irradiance. Trends of reduced dark respiration rates and reduced light compensation points were stilI present in response to shade. S. parahyba was, in relation to the other species, differently affected by shade treatment in many of the evaluated parameters. H. courbaril stood out, among the six species, by its low photosynthetic plasticity, showing slight alterations in response to shade. Shade responses also included increases in chlorophylI levels, decreases in chorophylI a/b ratios and changes of leaf optical properties. The three late-successional species were more efficient in altering their leaf optical properties in order to maximize radiation capture under shaded conditions. Carbon translocation evaluation was made for C. glazioui, S. parahyba, M peruiferum and H. courbaril plants grown in the greenhouse and under conditions of full sun and natural shade, by means of radiolabelled compounds. The responses for short-term distribution of these compounds were variable. Although some differences in the distribution pattern among species and in the shade responses were observed, no c1ear trend in relation to species sucessional status could be observed

ASSUNTO(S)

ecofisiologia crescimento (plantas) germinação fotossintese

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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