Drought constraints on leaf gas exchange by Miconia ciliata (Melastomataceae) in the understory of an eastern Amazonian regrowth forest stand

Abstract

Analyses of the effects of drought stress on Amazonian regrowth stands are lacking. We measured leaf gas exchange and leaf water potential of Miconia ciliata (Melastomataceae) in a dry-season irrigation experiment in 14-yr-old regrowth. In the dry season, irrigated plants maintained significantly higher leaf water potentials, photosynthetic capacity at light saturation (Amax), stomatal conductance (gs), internal CO2 concentration (Ci), and lower Amax/gs than control plants. The degree of dry-season down-regulation of control plant Amax, along with its fast recovery following rain, reveals the importance of occasional dry-season rains to the carbon budget of M. ciliata. During the wet season, we observed higher Amax for control plants than for plants that had been irrigated during the dry season. We hypothesize that reduced drought constraints on photosynthesis of irrigated plants advanced the flowering and fruiting phenology of irrigated plants into the dry season. Flowers and fruits of control plants developed later, during the wet season, potentially stimulating a compensatory reproductive photosynthesis response in nearby leaves. The relative drought intolerance of M. ciliata may be a deciding factor in its ability to survive through the dynamic successional development of the regrowth stand studied.