How the Adequate Choice of Plant Species Favors the Restoration Process in Areas Susceptible to Extreme Frost Events

Emerson Viveiros; Bruno Santos Francisco; Felipe Bueno Dutra; Lindomar Alves de Souza; Mariane Cristina Inocente; Aline Cipriano Valentim Bastos; Glória Fabiani Leão da Costa; Maycon Cristiano Barbosa; Rafael Paranhos Martins; Raquel Aparecida Passaretti; Maria José Pereira Fernandes; Julia Siqueira Tagliaferro de Oliveira; Ana Paula Ponce Shiguehara; Enzo Coletti Manzoli; Bruna Santos Teração; Ivonir Piotrowski; Fátima Conceição Márquez Piña-Rodrigues; José Mauro Santana da Silva

doi:10.3390/biology12111369

How the Adequate Choice of Plant Species Favors the Restoration Process in Areas Susceptible to Extreme Frost Events

Biology (Basel). 2023 Oct 26;12(11):1369. doi: 10.3390/biology12111369.

Authors

Emerson Viveiros^{1

2}, Bruno Santos Francisco¹, Felipe Bueno Dutra¹, Lindomar Alves de Souza¹, Mariane Cristina Inocente¹, Aline Cipriano Valentim Bastos¹, Glória Fabiani Leão da Costa¹, Maycon Cristiano Barbosa³, Rafael Paranhos Martins², Raquel Aparecida Passaretti², Maria José Pereira Fernandes², Julia Siqueira Tagliaferro de Oliveira⁴, Ana Paula Ponce Shiguehara¹, Enzo Coletti Manzoli¹, Bruna Santos Teração⁵, Ivonir Piotrowski⁵, Fátima Conceição Márquez Piña-Rodrigues^{1

5}, José Mauro Santana da Silva^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Postgraduate Program in Planning and Use of Renewable Resources, Department of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, Campus Sorocaba, São Paulo 18052-780, Brazil.
² AES Brasil, Bauru 17064-868, Brazil.
³ Undergraduate Program in Forest Engineering, Department of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, Campus Sorocaba, São Paulo 18052-780, Brazil.
⁴ Undergraduate Program in Biologycal Sciences, Department of Biologycal Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, Campus Sorocaba, São Paulo 18052-780, Brazil.
⁵ Department of Environmental Sciences, Federal University of São Carlos, Campus Sorocaba, São Paulo 18052-780, Brazil.

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the impacts caused by extreme frost events in an ecological restoration area. We grouped the species in three ways: (1) type of trichome coverage; (2) shape of the seedling crown; and (3) functional groups according to the degree of damage caused by frost. The variables of the restored area and species characteristics were selected to be subjected to linear generalization analysis models (GLMs). A total of 104 individuals from seven species were sampled. The most affected species were Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (98% of leaves affected), followed by Cecropia pachystachia Trécul and Hymenea courbaril L. (both 97%), Inga vera Willd. (84%), and Senegalia polyphylla (DC.) Britton & Rose with 75%. Tapirira guianensis Aubl. was considered an intermediate species, with 62% of the crown affected. Only Solanum granulosoleprosum Dunal was classified as slightly affected, with only 1.5% of leaves affected. With the GLM analysis, it was verified that the interaction between the variables of leaf thickness (Χ² = 37.1, df = 1, p < 0.001), trichome coverage (Χ² = 650.5, df = 2, p < 0.001), and leaf structure culture (Χ² = 54.0, df = 2, p < 0.001) resulted in a model with high predictive power (AIC = 927,244, BIC = 940,735, Χ² = 6947, R² = 0.74, p < 0.001). Frost-affected crown cover was best explained by the interaction between the three functional attributes (74%). We found that there is a tendency for thicker leaves completely covered in trichomes to be less affected by the impact of frost and that the coverage of the affected crown was greatly influenced by the coverage of trichomes. Seedlings with leaves completely covered in trichomes, thicker leaves, and a funneled or more open crown structure are those that are most likely to resist frost events. The success of ecological restoration in areas susceptible to extreme events such as frost can be predicted based on the functional attributes of the chosen species. This can contribute to a better selection of species to be used to restore degraded areas.

Keywords: climate change; ecology; morphology; seasonal forest; seedlings.

Grants and funding

This research was funded by AES Brasil, Ceiba Consultoria Ambiental and Tapirus Science. “The APC was funded by AES Brasil and Ceiba Consultoria Ambiental” in this section.