Anatomía de la madera de especies arbóteas de un bosque mesófilo de montaña: un enfoque ecológico-evolutivo

Abstract

In order to investigate trends in ecological wood anatomy of a cloud forest, 29 tree species from Ocuilan, State of Mexico, were studied. The results suggest that the homogeneous climate of the area determines the absence of growth rings for most species; also, a narrow relationship was observed between rings and the phytogeographic origin of taxa. With respect to the remaining anatomical characters, there is a high percentage of wood with diffuse porosity; also, medium and long vessel elements are common, with small diameters and scalariform perforation plates, along with long fibers with thin walls, of libriform type, or fibrotracheids in which septs may be present or not; axial parenchym is scarce and rays are heterogeneous, of type I. These characters are discussed from an ecological and evolutionary point of view.