A coordenação funcional entre os diferentes órgãos das plantas arbóreas de floresta atlântica varia conforme a estratégia de uso e conservação dos recursos?

Abstract

Functional characteristics of plants are associated with their ability to survive, grow and reproduce, and can be indicators of the ecology of the species. We know the economy spectra leaf and stem wood but not for the entire plant, as well as the roots. In order understand if there are coordination among distinct plant organs, we investigated ten characteristics (specific leaf area, dry matter content of leaf nitrogen content and phosphorus leaf, chlorophyll content, a wood density of the stem and root dry matter content of stem and root and maximum height), of 64 tree species in a tropical rainforest of Brazil. To identify the functional strategies of the species was made one hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward method and distance Gower. To find the optimal number of groups were performed simulations between two and five groups through the non-parametric multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVAs). Correlations between the pairs of species characteristics were analyzed using Pearson correlations. To analyze if there are or not functional coordination between the characteristics of the different organs of the plant, was performed one principal component analysis (PCA). To correct the effect of phylogenetic dependence were calculated phylogenetic independent contrasts on the correlations and the PCAs. We divided the species into three groups: the first group, with nine species (acquisitive); the second group 22 species (conservative); and the third group with 33 species (intermediate). The correlation analysis allowed to understand the conflicting demands between pairs of functional characteristics with and without phylogenetic contrasts. These analyses showed that family relationships influenced the characteristics of 64 species. Species with acquisitive strategy and conservative use of resources showed no coordination between the different organs of the plant; the same was true for species belonging to the group of intermediaries. When phylogenetic contrasts were considered this lack of coordination has been confirmed. The results of the coordination of functional strategies between the different bodies have not confirmed our hypothesis that the acquisitive species tend to have coordination, but proved the hypothesis for conservative species that showed no coordination between the distinct organs of the plant.