SciELO - Scientific Electronic Library Online

 
vol.61 issue4Comparative foliar anatomy and systematics of the Trichocentrum-clade with emphasis in Cohniella Asparagales: OrchidaceaePalms conservation, patterns of use and diversity Arecaceae in rain forests from the Chocó, Colombia author indexsubject indexarticles search
Home Pagealphabetic serial listing  

Services on Demand

Journal

Article

Indicators

Related links

Share


Revista de Biología Tropical

On-line version ISSN 0034-7744Print version ISSN 0034-7744

Abstract

CELIS, Gerardo  and  AVALOS, Gerardo. Acclimation of seedlings of Gnetum leyboldii Tul. Gnetaceae  to light changes in a tropical rain forest. Rev. biol. trop [online]. 2013, vol.61, n.4, pp.1859-1868. ISSN 0034-7744.

The neotropical liana Gnetum leyboldii Gnetaceae is a gymnosperm that resembles angiosperms in wood anatomy, overall morphology, and seed dispersal mechanism. Like other woody lianas, seedlings germinate in the shaded forest understory and start climbing towards the canopy, being eposed to sites with etreme differences in light conditions. However, the etent of physiological and structural adjustment to contrasting light conditions in the early regeneration stages of Gnetum is unknown. To answer this question, we analyzed seedling growth and photosynthetic responses using a common garden eperiment with two light regimes: full sun and low light 20 of full sun at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We also characterized the germination pattern of this species. We monitored one and half-month old seedlings for four months. Leaf structure finely adapted to light treatments, but gas echange properties were buffered by large seed reserves, which dominated biomass distribution about 50 of the total biomass, followed by stem 27, leaf 16 and root biomass 6 across light conditions. The presence of large seeds and the low photosynthetic rates of seedlings in both environments show that G. leyboldii is specialized to eploit deep shade. More research is needed to determine if the patterns found in G. leyboldii are typical of similar lianas that initially eploit deep-shaded understories in their ascension to the canopy.

Keywords : Gnetum leyboldii; lianas; photosynthetic acclimation; biomass allocation; germination; Costa Rica.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in English     · English ( pdf )

 

Creative Commons License All the contents of this journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License