Brazilian Journal of Botany | 2019
Convergence of physiological responses in woody plants in an Amazonian savanna
Abstract
Physiological traits are essential to understand the performance of plants in response to environmental conditions. We describe physiological responses related to gas exchanges in leaves of eight woody species in the savanna ecosystem of the Amazonian domain during the dry season. A portable gas analyzer was used to measure photosynthesis (A), transpiration (E), stomatal conductance (gs) and leaf temperature (TL). We applied A and E to calculate water use efficiency. Time of day showed significant influence on the E, TL and WUE values. The association between E and gs occurred in all plants measured, and this result indicated a trend of physiology responses convergence. Our results contribute to clarify remarkable physiological aspects of the savanna vegetation, which suffers from lack of knowledge while facing an accelerated degradation process.