Plasticidade foliar de Achyrocline satureioides (Lam.) DC (Asteraceae) em ambientes do cerrado

Abstract

The Brazilian Cerrado is considered one of the phytogeographic domains with a great biological diversity, presenting many endemic species. This domain presents a variation in its phytophysiognomy, so studies of the leaf structure of species with medicinal potential are essential to better understand the plasticity of these plants in the midst of environmental variations. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to analyze the plasticity of Achyrocline satureioides leaves in the Cerrado. For this, leaves were collected in the Parque Ecológico Quedas do Rio Bonito (PEQRB), in the municipality of Lavras - MG, in three different environments of Cerrado: Transition area with forest formation, Campo rupestre, and Cerrado strictu sensu. From this, the anatomical structure of the leaves, leaf area and mass, specific leaf area, specific leaf mass, succulence index, tissue density and water content were characterized. These variables were used to calculate the Relative Distance Plasticity Index (RDPI). For data analysis, regression was used through generalized mixed models, where the environments were a fixed factor and the individuals a random factor, with a difference between the means compared by the t test. Therefore, it was observed that the leaf structures of Achyrocline satureioides were not influenced by the environments, despite showing differences in the RDPI. Thus, the plasticity index showed that structural variables can contribute in different ways for Achyrocline satureioides to occur in different Cerrado environments. This is an important aspect to be considered for the conservation of the species and sustainable use as a medicinal plant.