Comparação da anatomia foliar de Myrsine coriacea e Myrsine umbellata em diferentes cotas altitudinais

Abstract

Ecologic anatomy is an important tool for the study of morphological plasticity of plants when they are exposed to different environmental pressure. Myrsine L. genus is native from Brazil and their species are common in the forest of Southeastern Brazil, having wide distribution, covering various Brazilian forest areas. Their occurrence is common in the Atlantic Forest, also occurring in higher elevations. The aim of this paper is to analyze the leaf anatomy of Myrsine coriacea (Sw.) R. Br. Ex Roem. & Schult and Myrsine umbellata Mart. in different altitude levels (1,700 m, 1,900 m and 2,100 m) in Montane Tropical Rain Forest. The anatomical characterization was performed by paradermic and transversal sections. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the Scott-Knott test. In Myrsine coriacea stomatal density was lower in the higher level of altitude, and thickness of leaf tissue increased at 2,100 m altitude. While in M. umbellata, the stomatal density increased at higher altitude as well as the stomatal index, and in relation to leaf tissue it was increased in thickness at 2100 m altitude. Therefore, the altitude along with environmental factors linked to it provide changes to the internal structure of the plant.