Sampaio et al. 2002 (Article) Brazil

The contrasting clonal architecture of two bromeliads from sandy coastal plains in Brazil

Author(s):—M.C. Sampaio, L.E. Perissé, G.A.d. Oliveira & R.I. Rios

Publication:—Flora 197: 443–451. (2002)

Abstract:—The vegetation of the Brazilian sandy coastal plains (‘restingas’) consists of vegetation patches of different sizes, separated by bare sand. Clonal growth seems to play an important role in this system, since this patchy resource-poor environment imposes several constraints on the flora. Aechmea nudicaulis and Vriesea neoglutinosa are two bromeliad species that occur in the restinga of Maricá, southeastern Brazil. The clonal growth patterns of these species were studied in order to understand their clonal architecture and ramet growth dynamics. For A. nudicaulis, we mapped six clonal fragments and measured the number of ramets produced by each mother-plant, rhizome length and branching angle. Height and diameter were measured in live plants. For V. neoglutinosa, we measured the number of ramets produced by each mother-plant and the respective branching angles. Leaf number, height, and diameter were recorded over a period of five months. For both species, variation in these parameters was correlated with life stage of the ramets. Clonal fragments of A. nudicaulis concentrate live ramets at the edge of vegetation islands, increasing ramet density. This strategy allows a single clonal fragment to potentially occupy a large area, forming large ramet systems. In contrast, the clonal growth of V. neoglutinosa, with ramets that develop only after sexual reproduction and arise inside the mother-plants, practically without spacer structures, lead to the formation of compact small clonal fragments, retaining their original site of occupation, maintaining the patch size

Keywords:—clonal growth, clonal architecture, sandy coastal plains, restingas, Aechmea nudicaulis, Vriesea neoglutinosa