Do woody and herbaceous species compete for soil water across topographic gradients? Evidence for niche partitioning in a Neotropical savanna

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dc.contributor.authorRossatto, D. R. [UNESP]
dc.contributor.authorSilva, L. C. R.
dc.contributor.authorSternberg, L. S. L.
dc.contributor.authorFranco, A. C.
dc.contributor.institutionUniversidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
dc.contributor.institutionUniv Calif Davis
dc.contributor.institutionUniv Miami
dc.contributor.institutionUniversidade de Brasília (UnB)
dc.date.accessioned2014-12-03T13:11:48Z
dc.date.available2014-12-03T13:11:48Z
dc.date.issued2014-03-01
dc.description.abstractSavannas are characterized by sparsely distributed woody species within a continuous herbaceous cover, composed mainly by grasses and small eudicot herbs. This vegetation structure is variable across the landscape, with shifts from open grassland to savanna woodland determined by factors that control tree density. These shifts often appear coupled with environmental variations, such as topographic gradients. Here we investigated whether herbaceous and woody savanna species differ in their use of soil water along a topographic gradient of about 110 m, spanning several vegetation physiognomies generally associated with Neotropical savannas. We measured the delta H-2 and delta O-18 signatures of plants, soils, groundwater and rainfall, determining the depth of plant water uptake and examining variations in water uptake patterns along the gradient. We found that woody species use water from deeper soil layers compared to herbaceous species, regardless of their position in the topographic gradient. However, the presence of a shallow water table restricted plant water uptake to the superficial soil layers at lower portions of the gradient. We confirmed that woody and herbaceous species are plastic with respect to their water use strategy, which determines niche partitioning across topographic gradients. Abiotic factors such as groundwater level, affect water uptake patterns independently of plant growth form, reinforcing vegetation gradients by exerting divergent selective pressures across topographic gradients. (C) 2013 SAAB. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.en
dc.description.affiliationUniv Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol Aplicada, FCAV, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
dc.description.affiliationUniv Calif Davis, Dept Land Air & Water Resources, Davis, CA 95616 USA
dc.description.affiliationUniv Miami, Dept Biol, Coral Gables, FL 33124 USA
dc.description.affiliationUniv Brasilia, Dept Bot, BR-70904970 Brasilia, DF, Brazil
dc.description.affiliationUnespUniv Estadual Paulista, Dept Biol Aplicada, FCAV, BR-14884900 Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil
dc.description.sponsorshipBrazilian National Council of Research (CNN)
dc.description.sponsorshipIdBrazilian National Council of Research (CNN)n474510/2008-5
dc.description.sponsorshipIdBrazilian National Council of Research (CNN)141624/2009-4
dc.format.extent14-18
dc.identifierhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2013.11.011
dc.identifier.citationSouth African Journal Of Botany. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Bv, v. 91, p. 14-18, 2014.
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.sajb.2013.11.011
dc.identifier.issn0254-6299
dc.identifier.lattes0588666172501665
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11449/113576
dc.identifier.wosWOS:000333720900004
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherElsevier B.V.
dc.relation.ispartofSouth African Journal of Botany
dc.relation.ispartofjcr1.442
dc.relation.ispartofsjr0,450
dc.rights.accessRightsAcesso restrito
dc.sourceWeb of Science
dc.subjectCerradoen
dc.subjectGrowth formsen
dc.subjectHerbaceous layeren
dc.subjectNiche partitioningen
dc.subjectResource useen
dc.subjectWater uptakeen
dc.subjectWoody layeren
dc.titleDo woody and herbaceous species compete for soil water across topographic gradients? Evidence for niche partitioning in a Neotropical savannaen
dc.typeArtigo
dcterms.licensehttp://www.elsevier.com/about/open-access/open-access-policies/article-posting-policy
dcterms.rightsHolderElsevier B.V.
unesp.author.lattes0588666172501665
unesp.campusUniversidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, Jaboticabalpt

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