INVESTIGADORES
BERTILLER monica Beatriz
artículos
Título:
Leaf litterfall patterns of perennial plant species in the arid Patagonian Monte, Argentina.
Autor/es:
CAMPANELLA, M.V.; BERTILLER, M.B
Revista:
PLANT ECOLOGY
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Año: 2010 vol. 210 p. 43 - 52
ISSN:
1385-0237
Resumen:
The objective of this study was to investigate
the variation in leaf litterfall patterns of desert
plant species in relation to the intra- and interannual
variation of precipitation. We collected the leaf
litterfall of 12 representative species of the dominant
life forms in the arid Patagonian Monte (evergreen
shrubs, deciduous shrubs, and perennial grasses) at
monthly intervals during three consecutive years. All
shrub species showed a marked seasonality in the
pattern of leaf litterfall, but the date of the peak of
leaf litterfall differed among them. The peak of leaf
litterfall in three deciduous and three evergreen
shrubs occurred in summer months while in one
deciduous shrub and in two other evergreen shrubs
the peak of leaf litterfall was in autumn and winter,
respectively. In contrast, the leaf litterfall of perennial
grasses occurred through the year without a seasonal
pattern. In most shrub species, increasing annual
precipitation was related to increasing leaf litterfall
and the peak of leaf litterfall was positively related to
precipitation events occurred some months before,
during winter. Moreover, the magnitude of responses
in terms of variation in leaf litterfall in relation to
interannual variation of precipitation was not the
same for all species. Evergreen shrubs showed lower
responses than deciduous species. These differences
in leaf litterfall patterns were consistent with differences
in leaf traits. In conclusion, we found new
evidence of species-specific responses of leaf litterfall
patterns to precipitation, suggesting that other factors
than precipitation may control leaf litterfall in desert
plants.