In the absence of canopy-opening disturbances, upland oak forests in the eastern United States are shifting to shade-tolerant, fire-sensitive tree species (i.e. mesophytes) via a hypothesized positive feedback loop of less flammable, self-promoting conditions, termed mesophication. To evaluate species-specific impacts on mesophication, I quantified canopy, bark, and leaf litter traits of five hypothesized mesophytes [red maple (Acer rubrum), sugar maple (A. saccharum), American beech (Fagus grandifolia), hickory (Carya spp.), and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera)] and four upland oaks [black oak (Quercus velutina), chestnut oak (Q. montana), scarlet oak (Q. coccinea), and white oak (Q. alba)] in central Kentucky. Red maple, sugar maple, and American beech had increased canopy depth with stem size, smoother bark, and small, thin leaves when compared to oaks. My findings suggest that some mesophytes, such as red maple, sugar maple, and American beech, may decrease future forest flammability by reducing understory light and increasing fuel moisture.

Ecologia funcional das plantas trata-se de uma nova abordagem dos dados que associa características morfológicas ou fisiológicas das plantas à sua função no ecossistema. Um único atributo pode estra relacionado a mais de uma função no ecossistema, assim a formação de esquemas de respostas ecológicas, através da associação de mais de um atributo, contribui para a realização de inferências mais seguras. Protocolos têm sido realizados com intuito de padronizar a coleta e análise dos dados, viabilizando a realização de análises globais e previsões mais seguras a respeito da mudança no uso do solo e aquecimento global. Porém, a ocorrência de variações dentro das espécies e em diferentes níveis de escala podem se tornar problemas para tais realizações. Nesse contexto o presente estudo se propõe a avaliar possíveis fontes de variação, bem como avaliar as proporções de variação entre diferentes escalas. As escalas envolvidas foram dentro do indivíduo - foram coletadas dez folhas totalmente expostas nas posições Norte e Sul da copa, que conferem diferentes condições de luminosidade; dentro da mesma espécie ou intrapopulacional - foram coletas cinco indivíduos de cada espécie em cada uma das três subpopulações; e entre espécies - foram coletadas quatro espécies de plantas em cada local. Os atributos avaliados foram: espessura, área foliar específica, conteúdo de massa seca foliar, conteúdos de clorofila a, b e carotenóides, razão clorofila a-b e conteúdo de nitrogênio por massa seca. Os dados foram analisados segundo modelos mistos que verificaram a existência de interações entre as escalas. Em seguida foi realizado uma ANOVA ou um teste de Tukey para verificação se há diferenciação entre os atributos nas diferentes posições da copa. Foram gerados modelos que resultaram em proporções de variação dentro dos indivíduos, entre os indivíduos de toda a espécie, entre as subpopulações e entre as espécies. Também foram realizadas Análises de Componentes Principais para verificação da formação de conjuntos de atributos. Não houve diferença dos atributos foliares entre as duas posições na copa. Somente o conteúdo de nitrogênio apresentou interação na escala Espécie. Houve formação de diferentes esquemas de respostas ecológicas. Schefflera macrocarpa indicou características de espécie de crescimento lento e folhas com longo tempo de vida, Erythorxylum suberosum e Birsonima intermedia apresentaram características mais similares, mas B intermedia apresentou características de folhas de vida mais curta em relação a E suberosum,com investimento especial em clorofila a, que pode estar relacionado à arquitetura de copa da espécie. Symplocos oblongifolia apresentou características de folhas de vida curta. Uma variação marcante e inesperada foi a variação dentro dos indivíduos, que deve ser melhor estudada para averiguação de sua fonte. Estudos de arquitetura de copa, plasticidade fenotípica e que envolvam outras escalas menos detalhadas podem orientar o melhor entendimento das fontes de variação dos atributos foliares paras as espécies desse estudo. / Plant functional ecology is a novel approach that combines morphological or physiological characteristics of plants to the ecosystem function. A single attribute can be related to more than one function in the ecosystem, so the grouping some traits can be taken as ecology strategy schemes contributing to many inferences. Protocols have been undertaken to standardize the acquisition and analysis of leaf traits data, allowing the detection of global patterns that can be used in forecasts and policies regarding land use directions and global warming models. However, the occurrence of variations within the species at different scales would be a source of interference in the data acquisition procedures, affecting the reliability of the interpretation. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the variation regarding different scales using the proportion of variance of each trait in a group of species. The scales involved were: intra-individual - considering leaves exposed in the North and South canopy parts, which confer different lighting conditions; intra-populational - five individuals of each species in each of the three subpopulations; and interespecific - four plant species at each location. The attributes evaluated were thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, content of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, chlorophyll ab ratio and nitrogen content by dry weight. Data were analyzed using a mixed models technique to detect the existence of interactions between scales. Then an ANOVA with a Tukey test was performed to check for differences among attributes in different positions of the canopy. We used models encompassing the variations within individuals; among the individuals of all kinds, and among subpopulations among species. We also performed a Principal Component Analysis to explore the relations among sets of attributes at the different scales. We found no difference in leaf traits between the two positions in the canopy. Only the nitrogen content showed interactions at the species scale. The Schefflera macrocarpa showed characteristics of slow-growing species and leaves with long lifetime, and Erythorxylum suberosum and Birsonima intermedia showed similar trends but B.intermedia showed leaves with shorter life spam when compared to E. suberosum , with higher investment in chlorophyll a , which may be related to the canopy architecture of the species. Symplocos oblongifolia showed characteristics of short-lived leaves. We found an unexpectedly high variation within individual level, which should be further studied. Studies of canopy architecture, and phenotypic plasticity involving other scales would contribute to a better understanding of the sources of variation in leaf traits in the species used in this study.

Ecologia funcional das plantas trata-se de uma nova abordagem dos dados que associa características morfológicas ou fisiológicas das plantas à sua função no ecossistema. Um único atributo pode estra relacionado a mais de uma função no ecossistema, assim a formação de esquemas de respostas ecológicas, através da associação de mais de um atributo, contribui para a realização de inferências mais seguras. Protocolos têm sido realizados com intuito de padronizar a coleta e análise dos dados, viabilizando a realização de análises globais e previsões mais seguras a respeito da mudança no uso do solo e aquecimento global. Porém, a ocorrência de variações dentro das espécies e em diferentes níveis de escala podem se tornar problemas para tais realizações. Nesse contexto o presente estudo se propõe a avaliar possíveis fontes de variação, bem como avaliar as proporções de variação entre diferentes escalas. As escalas envolvidas foram dentro do indivíduo - foram coletadas dez folhas totalmente expostas nas posições Norte e Sul da copa, que conferem diferentes condições de luminosidade; dentro da mesma espécie ou intrapopulacional - foram coletas cinco indivíduos de cada espécie em cada uma das três subpopulações; e entre espécies - foram coletadas quatro espécies de plantas em cada local. Os atributos avaliados foram: espessura, área foliar específica, conteúdo de massa seca foliar, conteúdos de clorofila a, b e carotenóides, razão clorofila a-b e conteúdo de nitrogênio por massa seca. Os dados foram analisados segundo modelos mistos que verificaram a existência de interações entre as escalas. Em seguida foi realizado uma ANOVA ou um teste de Tukey para verificação se há diferenciação entre os atributos nas diferentes posições da copa. Foram gerados modelos que resultaram em proporções de variação dentro dos indivíduos, entre os indivíduos de toda a espécie, entre as subpopulações e entre as espécies. Também foram realizadas Análises de Componentes Principais para verificação da formação de conjuntos de atributos. Não houve diferença dos atributos foliares entre as duas posições na copa. Somente o conteúdo de nitrogênio apresentou interação na escala Espécie. Houve formação de diferentes esquemas de respostas ecológicas. Schefflera macrocarpa indicou características de espécie de crescimento lento e folhas com longo tempo de vida, Erythorxylum suberosum e Birsonima intermedia apresentaram características mais similares, mas B intermedia apresentou características de folhas de vida mais curta em relação a E suberosum,com investimento especial em clorofila a, que pode estar relacionado à arquitetura de copa da espécie. Symplocos oblongifolia apresentou características de folhas de vida curta. Uma variação marcante e inesperada foi a variação dentro dos indivíduos, que deve ser melhor estudada para averiguação de sua fonte. Estudos de arquitetura de copa, plasticidade fenotípica e que envolvam outras escalas menos detalhadas podem orientar o melhor entendimento das fontes de variação dos atributos foliares paras as espécies desse estudo. / Plant functional ecology is a novel approach that combines morphological or physiological characteristics of plants to the ecosystem function. A single attribute can be related to more than one function in the ecosystem, so the grouping some traits can be taken as ecology strategy schemes contributing to many inferences. Protocols have been undertaken to standardize the acquisition and analysis of leaf traits data, allowing the detection of global patterns that can be used in forecasts and policies regarding land use directions and global warming models. However, the occurrence of variations within the species at different scales would be a source of interference in the data acquisition procedures, affecting the reliability of the interpretation. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate the variation regarding different scales using the proportion of variance of each trait in a group of species. The scales involved were: intra-individual - considering leaves exposed in the North and South canopy parts, which confer different lighting conditions; intra-populational - five individuals of each species in each of the three subpopulations; and interespecific - four plant species at each location. The attributes evaluated were thickness, specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, content of chlorophyll a, b and carotenoids, chlorophyll ab ratio and nitrogen content by dry weight. Data were analyzed using a mixed models technique to detect the existence of interactions between scales. Then an ANOVA with a Tukey test was performed to check for differences among attributes in different positions of the canopy. We used models encompassing the variations within individuals; among the individuals of all kinds, and among subpopulations among species. We also performed a Principal Component Analysis to explore the relations among sets of attributes at the different scales. We found no difference in leaf traits between the two positions in the canopy. Only the nitrogen content showed interactions at the species scale. The Schefflera macrocarpa showed characteristics of slow-growing species and leaves with long lifetime, and Erythorxylum suberosum and Birsonima intermedia showed similar trends but B.intermedia showed leaves with shorter life spam when compared to E. suberosum , with higher investment in chlorophyll a , which may be related to the canopy architecture of the species. Symplocos oblongifolia showed characteristics of short-lived leaves. We found an unexpectedly high variation within individual level, which should be further studied. Studies of canopy architecture, and phenotypic plasticity involving other scales would contribute to a better understanding of the sources of variation in leaf traits in the species used in this study.

The justification for development of elite loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) genotypes includes potential increases in stand uniformity and reduction in planting densities and corresponding establishment costs. However, some genotypes produce less desirable characteristics than others. The ability to realize full potential genetic gains is dependent on selecting appropriate combinations of genetic material and silvicultural management. In 2008, a study was established in the upper coastal plain of Mississippi to examine the performance of two varietal loblolly pine genotypes, a “crop tree” ideotype (CROP) and a “competitor” ideotype (COMP), at two levels of management intensity and three different initial tree spacings. After nine growing seasons, differences in crown morphology, top dieback frequency, and growth and yield variables are apparent between genetics and silvicultural intensity. The COMP ideotype had, on average, greater crown volume, less acute branch angles, and LAI than the CROP ideotype. Increasing management intensity had greater impact on crown characteristics than genotype. Current annual increment growth of stem wood was statistically higher in the COMP ideotype under intensive management and lowest stocking level. The interaction of ideotype, management intensity and spacing level significantly impacted growth and yield. The COMP ideotype is projected to produce greater volume than the CROP ideotype on this site. There was no significant difference between ideotypes with respect to specific gravity for any combination of cultural treatments. Instances of top dieback were significantly higher in the CROP ideotype across management and spacing levels. Nutrient sufficiency levels for fast growing loblolly pine and foliar levels in the current study were statistically significant. Differences due to management intensity were related to reduced competition and lower incidence of damage. The results of this study provide a reference point for elite loblolly pine under different silvicultural regimes for landowners interested in performance potential in Mississippi’s upper coastal plain.

This study was designed to investigate the development of the crown architecture of six genotypes of loblolly pine across a variety of growing conditions, and also to investigate the stability of the crown ideotype for these genotypes over a range of site and silvicultural management regimes. The objectives were to determine whether the crown dimensions that determine the crown ideotype of four clones, a mass-control-pollinated family, and an open-pollinated family of Pinus taeda L. are consistent within their respective genotypes, and to determine whether those same crown dimensions and genotypes follow consistent patterns even when established on different sites with contrasting qualities and different silvicultural regimes. The study was conducted on a 5-year-old plantation with an initial spacing of 1,235 trees per hectare. The plots had not reached crown closure, which provided the opportunity to assess the crown characteristics of individual trees of each genotype and how they developed over in a variety of growing conditions, without the interactions of other individuals. The study was a split-split plot design with the whole plot divided between two sites of contrasting quality; one site established in the Virginia Piedmont and a second site established in the North Carolina Coastal Plain. The sub plots were divided between high and low intensity silviculture. The sub-sub plots were divided among the six genotypes of loblolly pine. Seventeen tree and crown characteristics were measured, and means were compared using analysis of variance and Tukey's HSD test. We hypothesized that the branch and crown attributes would follow consistent patterns among these genotypes on the two sites and between the two silvicultural regimes. The results generally confirm these hypotheses. When the genotypes were compared, interactions only occurred with total branches, internode length, total foliage mass, and total leaf area. Tree height, diameter at breast height (dbh), stem volume, and crown volume averaged 4.8 m, 7.5 cm, 0.03 m3, and 7.1 m3, respectively at the site in Virginia, compared to values of 4.1 m, 6.2 cm, 0.02 m3, and 4.9 m3 at the site in North Carolina. Tree height, dbh, stem volume, branch diameter, branch length, and crown volume averaged 4.7 m, 7.5 cm, 0.03 m3, 1.3 cm, 90.3 cm, and 7.3 m3, respectively under high intensity silviculture compared to values of 4.3 m, 6.2 cm, 0.02 m3, 1.1 cm, 68.7 cm, and 4.7 m3 under low intensity silviculture. There were differences among the genotypes in branch diameter, branch length, and crown volume, with the branch diameter of clones 1 and 3 averaging 1.2 cm compared to an average of 1.3 cm for clones 2 and 4. Branch length for clone 1 averaged 72.4 cm and clone 3 averaged 77.0 cm, while branch length for clone 2 averaged 83.3 cm and clone 4 averaged 86.7 cm. Crown volume for clone 1 averaged 4.9 m3 and clone 3 averaged 6.3 m3, while clone 2 averaged 7.1 m3 and clone 4 averaged 7.2 m3. These differences conform to the crown ideotype for these clones, where clones 1 and 3 were considered narrow crowned and clones 2 and 4 were considered broad crowned. The branch diameter and branch length of the open pollinated family (OP) was similar in size to the broad crowned clones (1.3 cm and 84 cm, respectively), while the branch diameter and branch length of the mass control pollinated (MCP) family was smaller than the narrow crowned clones (1.1 cm and 71.2 cm, respectively). Crown volume for the OP family was intermediate between the clonal ideotypes, averaging 5.9 m3, while the MCP family had the smallest crown volume, averaging 4.7 m3. A single-degree-of-freedom ANOVA comparing the two clonal ideotypes yielded similar results. There were interactions with branch diameter, total branches, internode length, and total leaf area, but the broad crown ideotype was larger in every measured parameter than the narrow crown ideotype. The lack of interactions and the general conformity to crown ideotype in this study indicated stability among these genotypes across this variety of growing conditions. / Master of Science

A invasão por gramíneas africanas é uma das principais ameaças à diversidade biológica e funcional das formações savânicas do cerrado. Uma questão central em invasões por plantas é entender como espécies oriundas de sistemas com diferentes pressões seletivas são capazes de adquirir e utilizar recursos em um novo ambiente. O objetivo deste estudo foi de comparar os padrões de uso luz e água de gramíneas nativas e invasoras em duas condições de cobertura arbórea ao longo de um gradiente de invasão em uma área de cerrado localizada no Parque Estadual do Juquery - SP. O efeito da presença da cobertura sobre os indivíduos foi investigado através de amostragens em fisionomia de campo (dossel ausente) e de campo cerrado (dossel presente). A hipótese de que o desempenho no uso de recursos de invasoras supera o de nativas em presença de cobertura arbórea foi testada através da medição de aspectos ligados à capacidade de interceptação da luz e ao desempenho de uso da luz e água associado ao potencial de ganho de carbono. As gramíneas africanas apresentaram padrões de arranjo espacial das folhas e estrutura foliar que diferem dos de nativas. As copas das invasoras apresentaram maior grau de sobreposição entre as folhas. As folhas das invasoras exibiram menores inclinações, menor espessura e menor razão de massa seca por área. A presença do dossel arbóreo favoreceu o transporte fotoquímico de elétrons de invasoras e desfavoreceu o de nativas. As principais diferenças nas dinâmicas de trocas gasosas entre nativas e invasoras foram observadas quando as razões foram expressas por massa seca foliar. Diferenças nas relações entre as variáveis indicam que a relação do padrão de investimento em tecidos foliares com o potencial fotossintético pode implicar em respostas contrastantes de nativas e invasoras aos regimes de irradiância nas fisionomias de campo sujo e campo cerrado / Invasions by African grasses constitutes one of the greatest threats to the biological and functional diversity of the cerrado savannas. A central question to understand plant invasions is how species originating from systems with distinct selective pressures are able to acquire and utilize resources in their new environments. The objective of this study was to compare native and invasive grasses with respect to their light and water use patterns in two sites with differing canopy tree cover along an invasion gradient in a cerrado area in the Juquery State Park, SP. The effect of the canopy tree cover on the grass individuals was investigated through sampling in the cerrado physiognomies of \'campo sujo\' (tree cover absent) and \'campo cerrado\' (tree cover present). The hypothesis that invaders outperform natives under the presence of canopy tree cover in terms of resource-use was tested through field measurements of traits related to light interception capacity and to the performance in light and water use associated with carbon gain potentials. Invasive African grasses showed distinct patterns of crown architecture and leaf structure when compared to natives. Invaders showed a greater degree of leaf overlapping in the crown. Invaders leaves were thinner, relatively more planophile, and showed smaller leaf dry mass per area ratios. The presence of canopy tree cover favored the invaders photochemical electron transport while disfavored natives. The main differences concerning native and invaders gas-exchange dynamics were observed on a leaf dry mass basis. The relation between patterns of leaf tissue investment and photosynthetic potentials could imply in contrasting responses of native and invasive grasses to the irradiance regime in differing cerrado vegetation types