MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PLASTICITY OF SAPLINGS OF Cabralea canjerana (Vell.) MART. IN DIFFERENT LIGHT CONDITIONS

ABSTRACT This work was carried out to verify the plasticity of saplings of Cabralea canjerana plants and their capacity to adapt to different light environments by means of morphological and physiological characteristics. For this, 12 plants of a secondary Deciduous Seasonal Forest fragment were selected, six growing under canopy and six in full sun. Trees were classified according to their sociological position as emergent and dominated. The leaves were classified as apical, intermediate and basal according to their position in the canopy. The variables measured were: total number of leaves, width, length, thickness, leaf area and dry mass of leaflets; content of chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids. Emergent leaflets of the upper position of the canopy in full sun, which are considered the most exposed to luminosity, presented xeromorphic characteristics such as leaflet size reduction, greater limbus thickness, smaller leaf area and lower content of chlorophyll b. The similarity in the dry mass and pigment content demonstrates that the photosynthetic activity of the C. canjerana plants analyzed is not being affected by the different conditions of the environment, which demonstrates the plasticity of the species and its capacity of development in several light conditions.