Leaf anatomical traits corroborate the leaf economic spectrum: a case study with deciduous forest tree species Na ´dia Sı ´lvia Somavilla • Rosana Marta Kolb • Davi Rodrigo Rossatto Received: 3 May 2013 / Accepted: 14 November 2013 / Published online: 5 December 2013 Ó Botanical Society of Sao Paulo 2013 Abstract Deciduous forests are seasonal systems that occur scattered throughout the Neotropics. Many aspects about these ecosystems have been studied. However, there is a lack of information about leaf structure and its possible functional and adaptive aspects. Here we examined leaf anatomy and specific leaf area (SLA) in 13 dominant tree species of dry forests in central Brazil, identifying struc- tural patterns of these species. As the system is seasonal, with species presenting a deciduous behavior, we expect to find tree species with a set of mesomorphic leaf traits. The studied dry forest trees share similar leaf structure, with one-layered adaxial and abaxial epidermis and a well- developed mesophyll, high values of SLA, and the pre- sence of calcium crystals and mucilaginous cells. Higher values of SLA and the high investment achieved in the mesophyll (especially in parenchyma tissue) are probably related to the accomplishment of a high performance of carbon and nutrients gain during the limited wet season. Keywords Calcium crystals Á Deciduousness Á Dry forest Á Leaf traits Á Mucilage Introduction Tropical forests are the dominant vegetation type throughout the Neotropics, and consist of humid and seasonal forests, which differ mainly in their aspects of seasonality of rainfall and water availability (Murphy and Lugo 1986; Sanchez- Azofeifa et al. 2013). Seasonally deciduous tropical forests (SDTFs), also called dry forests, differ from humid forests because they appear in regions where strong rainfall season- ality is mandatory, subjecting plants to a long period of drought (3–7 months) in comparison with humid forests, which normally do not show a drought period (Mooney et al. 1995; Pennington et al. 2006). Some of these SDTFs appear patched and distributed in the Neotropics, appearing throughout limestone outcrops (Mooney et al. 1995; Felfili et al. 2007; Coelho et al. 2013). In this vegetation, there is a great soil profile variation (Pennington et al. 2006; Felfili et al. 2007). However, these soils are generally shallow and mesotrophic, presenting high amounts of calcium and mag- nesium (Mooney et al. 1995; Felfili et al. 2007). Due to this high concentration of nutrients in the soil, trees have trunks that are straight with the canopy of emerging trees reaching up to 20–30 m (Felfili et al. 2007). Despite this high nutrient availability leading to potential plant growth, the shallow soils throughout limestone outcrops do not hold sufficient water and humidity during the dry season and the period of drought is normally prolonged, affecting the majority of species which become leafless (Felfili et al. 2007). Considering this, the tree cover that is around 90 % during the rainy season is reduced to near zero during the dry season (Felfili 2001). N. S. Somavilla Departamento de Bota ˆnica, Instituto de Cie ˆncias Biolo ´gicas, Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Rua Jose ´ Lourenc ¸o Kelmer, s/n-Campus Universita ´rio, Sa ˜o Pedro, Juiz de Fora, MG 36036-900, Brazil R. M. Kolb Departamento de Cie ˆncias Biolo ´gicas, Faculdade de Cie ˆncias e Letras, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista ‘‘Ju ´lio de Mesquita Filho’’, Campus de Assis, Av. Dom Antonio 2100, Assis, SP 19806-900, Brazil D. R. Rossatto (&) Departamento de Biologia Aplicada a ` Agropecua ´ria, Faculdade de Cie ˆncias Agra ´rias e Veterina ´rias, UNESP-Univ. Estadual Paulista ‘‘Ju ´lio de Mesquita Filho’’, Campus de Jaboticabal, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n, Jaboticabal, SP 14884-900, Brazil e-mail: drrossatto@gmail.com 123 Braz. J. Bot (2014) 37(1):69–82 DOI 10.1007/s40415-013-0038-x