Applying a Functional Trait-based Approach for Ecological Succession Monitoring and Species Management in Areas under Active Restoration in a Tropical Forest.

Monitoring restoration areas is crucial for understanding how ecological succession changes over time and whether the trajectories of planted communities are following the desired path of recovery. A functional trait-based approach coupling the functional trajectory analysis (FTA) with species abundance modelling may have a significant potential application in restoration assessment. In the present study, we surveyed a 10-year-old restoration tree community in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, planted in rows (2 × 2 m spacing) and clusters (13 individuals planted 0.

Increasing leaf sizes of the vine (Araceae): photosynthesis and respiration.

The canopy leaves of allomorphic aroid vines can exceed 2,000 cm, up to 30 times larger than respective understorey leaves. In the literature, this allomorphic increase in leaf area of aroid vines was hypothesized to improve its light foraging capacity. The viability of these large leaves depends on carbon acquisition obtained from their larger area and on the respective costs of production, maintenance and support.

How does the life cycle of Clinodiplosis profusa (Cecidomyiidae) adjust to phenological variations of the host plant Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae) in sun and shade?

Galls are plant neoformations induced by specialized parasites. Since gall inducers rely on reactive plant sites for gall development, variations in abiotic factors that affect plant phenology are expected to impact the life cycle of gall inducers. To test the hypothesis that different light conditions affect both host plant and gall inducer life cycles, we studied the system Eugenia uniflora (Myrtaceae) - Clinodiplosis profusa (Cecidomyiidae), comparing plants occurring in sunny and shaded environments.

Photosynthetic activity increases with leaf size and intercellular spaces in an allomorphic lianescent aroid Rhodospatha oblongata.

This study aimed to investigate leaf anatomy, as well as photosynthetic gas exchange, that underlie the improvement in light foraging capacity, which appears to occur in aroid vines seeking light exposure. Three levels of plant height (soil level, 3 m and 6 m) were categorised for the aroid vine Rhodospatha oblongata Poepp. to represent the transition from ground to canopy.

Root morphophysiology changes during the habitat transition from soil to canopy of the aroid vine Rhodospatha oblongata.

Background And Aims: The aroid vine Rhodospatha oblongata is characterized by a habitat change from terrestrial to canopy, relying on aerial roots at maturity to obtain water and nutrients from the forest soil. We hypothesize that morphophysiological acclimation occurs in roots as they grow under atmospheric conditions. These changes would guarantee the whole-plant survival of aroid vines in the new and potentially stressful habitat of the canopy.

Discovery of the first succulent bamboo (Poaceae, Bambusoideae) in a new genus from Laos' karst areas, with a unique adaptation to seasonal drought.

Lush jungle flagship species, woody bamboos (Poaceae-Bambusoideae) are famed for their synchronous flowering as well as the extensive "bamboo forests" some species can form in tropical or temperate environments. In portions of their natural distribution, Bambusoideae members developed various adaptations to seasonality in environmental parameters, such as frost or seasonal drought. A new taxon, , described here, is extremely novel in showing the first documented case of succulence in bamboos, with its ability to seasonally vary the volume of its stem depending on the quantity of water stored.