Leaf morpho-anatomical and physiological plasticity of two vriesea species (bromeliaceae) in atlantic coast restingas (brazil) / plasticidade morfoanatômica e fisiológica foliar de duas espécies de vriesea (bromeliaceae) em restingas da costa atlântica (brasil)

Environmental variations may lead to structural and functional responses among Bromeliaceae and knowledge of these responses can allow better understanding about ecological processes and more effective planning of handling and conservation programs in protected areas. Because of the diverse habitats occupied by Vriesea , this study aimed at assessing the morpho-anatomical plasticity and photosynthetic pigment contents in V. neoglutinosa and V. procera occurring in the Open Clusia and Dry Forest formations of a restinga vegetation area in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. In general, plants in Dry Forest formation showed higher growth measurements and lower leaf inclination. In Open Clusia formation, both species showed leaves with higher scale density, whereas V. neoglutinosa also showed higher stomatal density. The chlorenchyma thickness of V. procera was greater in Dry Forest. We did not find differences in leaf blade thickness and water-storage parenchyma for both species between the two environments. We found abundant oil substances in guard and subsidiary cells of Open Clusia samples. In both species, individuals from the Dry Forest formation showed higher chlorophyll a and b and total chlorophyll contents, whereas V. neoglutinosa samples from the Open Clusia formation showed higher carotenoid contents. Of the characteristics assessed, photosynthetic pigment contents showed higher plasticity. We found that morphostructural and functional plasticity in both V. neoglutinosa and V. procera is possibly influenced by variations in irradiance and in nitrogen and organic matter contents in the soils of the evaluated plant formations.