The “Lianescent Vascular Syndrome” statistically supported in a comparative study of trees and lianas of Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae
Open Access
- 12 March 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
- Vol. 197 (1), 25-34
- https://doi.org/10.1093/botlinnean/boab015
Abstract
Lianas are one of the most iconic elements of tropical forests and their presence is a major feature of these biomes. Here we aim to describe and compare the wood of key genera of Fabaceae subfamily Papilionoideae comprising both trees and lianas. Thirty-eight species from the genera Machaerium, Dalbergia, Clitoria and Dioclea were sampled to establish the main quantitative features that differentiate lianas and trees, the so-called “Lianescent Vascular Syndrome”. Variance analyses were carried out to diagnose the anatomical differences between trees and lianas. Whereas most studies focused on qualitative features, this study focused on a statistical, quantitative comparison of lianas and trees of Papilionoideae, some not previously analysed anatomically. Our results show that lianas are quantitatively different from trees in having wider and more frequent vessels, a higher percentage of axial and radial parenchyma relative to fibres, greater ray height and width and longer fibres, statistically corroborating the “Lianescent Vascular Syndrome”.Keywords
Funding Information
- Brazilian Research Council (201273/96-9)
- State of São Paulo Research Foundation (97/13908-6)
- Margaret Mee Foundation (IA200319, IA200521)
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