Leaf Phenology of Danaea Geniculata (marattiaceae) in a Submontane Tropical Forest, Brazil

Ferns adapt their phenological characteristics such as leaf production, leaf fertility and leaf mortality to the habitat conditions optimizing their opportunities to grow, reproduce, and disperse. The leaf phonology of the herbaceous, dimorphic fern Danaca geniculata was studied in a Brazilian submontane tropical forest and compared with several other fern species worldwide. Plants of D. geniculata held an average of 8.11 +/- 2.16 leaves that were produced and died at similar rates of 4.44 +/- 2.16 leaves y(-1) and 4.20 +/- 2.28 leaves y(-1), respectively. Leaf lifespan was 24.7 +/- 7.5 mo for sterile leaves and 5.6 +/- 0.6 mo for fertile leaves. Leaf production and fertility increased with rainfall, but decreased with temperature, because of the local climate, which is characterized by higher rainfall during the colder winter months. On the other hand, leaf mortality increased during drier and hotter months. Leaf production and fertility of other species were fit into three categories and compared with D. geniculata. The leaf phenology of D. geniculata neither coincided with species at the same site nor with species within the same family (Marattiaceae), indicating that even coexisting or closely related species can adapt individually to the macro- and microclimatic parameters of their habitats.