| ABSTRACT In ombrophilous forests, light stratification provokes different adjustments by plants for better use of the environmental conditions of each stratum. Among the morphological traits that vary with strata, the presence of bundle sheath extensions (BSEs) is related to water transport, photosynthesis, and leaf mechanical support and classifies leaves as homobaric or heterobaric. This study analyzed the proportion of these types of leaves in a Lowland Ombrophilous Dense Forest (LLODF) and a Mixed Ombrophilous Forest (MOF), and among the strata of each forest type. The morphological leaf traits of 89 LLODF tree species and 57 MOF tree species were examined. The proportion of homobaric and heterobaric leaves did not differ between forests. However, in... |
