Phenotypic plasticity of Miconia camissois Naudin (Melastomataceae) in a gallery forest and humid grassland of Central Brazil

Abstract

We investigated the influence of soil physicochemical parameters on variations in shrub architecture and foliar characteristics of Miconia chamissois Naudin in both a gallery forest and humid grassland in the southern region of the state of Goiás, central Brazil. Our study aimed to address the following questions: 1) Is there a difference in the shrub architecture and leaf characteristics of M. chamissois between gallery forests and humid fields? 2) What is the relative importance of soil physicochemical parameters in determining phenotypic patterns? We selected 30 individuals from each phytophysiognomy and analyzed their shoot system architecture and leaf characteristics. Soil samples were additionally collected to analyze physical-chemical parameters such as soil humidity, temperature, and slope of the land near each sampled specimen. Individuals from the gallery forest exhibited more significant variation in shrub architecture and leaf characteristics than those from the humid grassland. Specimens of M. chamissois in the gallery forest displayed higher leaf area, total height, canopy length, canopy width, and canopy area values, whereas those in the humid grassland exhibited longer leaves. However, variations between individuals were more pronounced between phytophysiognomies than within them, indicating an environmental effect on shrub architecture, particularly leaf characteristics. Soil physicochemical parameters were found to be primarily responsible for the observed variation in leaf traits. Our results reveal that specimens of M. chamissois from the gallery forest have different shrub architecture and leaf characteristics than those from the humid grassland, such as leaf area, crown length, and total height, among others. These results are associated with soil physicochemical parameters (moisture, slope, sand and silt) and corroborate the existence of phenotypic plasticity in M. chamissois populations in anthropic landscapes in Central Brazil.