Leaf morphology of 89 tree species from a lowland tropical rain forest (Atlantic forest) in South Brazil

Este estudo examinou a morfologia e anatomia foliar de 89 especies arboreas de uma area de Floresta Atlântica Litorânea no Sul do Brasil. A maioria das especies (>75%) possuem folhas pequenas (notofilas e microfilas) elipticas e simples com margens inteiras. Essas folhas apresentam uma estrutura anatomica formada por epiderme uniseriada, parenquima palicadico composto por um unico estrato de celulas e o parenquima esponjoso composto por 5 to 8 estratos celulares. O tecido esclerenquimatico e limitado aos feixes vasculares. A maioria das especies arboreas (91%) possui folhas com caracteristicas mesomorficas Poucas especies (9%) sao xerofilas como era esperado em florestas que crescem sob solo arenoso oligotrofico. As caracteristicas mesomorficas parecem estar associadas a eficientes mecanismos de ciclagem de nutrientes que compensam o baixo conteudo de nutrientes do solo mineral.

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