AUTHOR=Alves Alline Mendes , Espírito-Santo Mário Marcos do , Silva Jhonathan O. , Faccion Gabriela , Sanchez-Azofeifa Arturo , Ferreira Kleiperry Freitas TITLE=Successional and Intraspecific Variations in Leaf Traits, Spectral Reflectance Indices and Herbivory in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest JOURNAL=Frontiers in Forests and Global Change VOLUME=4 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/forests-and-global-change/articles/10.3389/ffgc.2021.780299 DOI=10.3389/ffgc.2021.780299 ISSN=2624-893X ABSTRACT=
Leaf traits are good indicators of ecosystem functioning and can affect herbivory and leaf reflectance patterns, allowing a better understanding of changes in environmental conditions, such those observed during forest natural regeneration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the intraspecific variation in leaf traits and their influence on the pattern of herbivory and leaf reflectance in three species distributed along a successional gradient (early, intermediate and late stages) in a tropical dry forest (TDF) in northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. We sampled individuals of the following abundant tree species that occurred in multiple successional stages: