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Drier climate shifts leaf morphology in Amazonian trees.
Juliana Stropp1, Isiane M Dos Santos2, Ricardo A Correia2,3,4
1Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil. justropp@gmail.com.
Oecologia
|October 18, 2017
Summary
Amazonian trees may adapt to drier climates by changing leaf size. This study analyzed herbarium specimens, finding smaller leaves after the 1970s, suggesting adaptive phenotypic plasticity in response to reduced rainfall.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Botany
- Climate Change Biology
Background:
- Amazonia's humid forests face intensifying dry seasons.
- Trees may adapt to climate change via phenotypic plasticity despite long generation times.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if Amazonian trees have shifted leaf morphology in response to recent climate drying.
- To analyze historical herbarium specimens for evidence of adaptive leaf changes.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of historical herbarium specimens from six Amazonian tree species over 60 years.
- Comparison of leaf morphology changes with historical precipitation data.
- Exploration and accounting for spatial and temporal biases in specimen collection.
Main Results:
- Significant spatial and temporal biases were found in herbarium specimen collection, with clustering around the 1970s and specific locations.
- After accounting for biases, a trend of decreasing leaf size was observed post-1970s.
- This decrease in leaf size correlates with observed reductions in rainfall.
Conclusions:
- Some Amazonian trees exhibit adaptive phenotypic plasticity, changing leaf size in response to a drier climate.
- Observed leaf size reduction supports the hypothesis of adaptation to recent climatic shifts.
- Caution is advised when generalizing findings due to inherent biases in herbarium specimen data.