Diversity of Reproductive Ecological Groups in Semideciduous Seasonal Forests
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1885 Original Article DIVERSITY OF REPRODUCTIVE ECOLOGICAL GROUPS IN SEMIDECIDUOUS SEASONAL FORESTS DIVERSIDADE DE GRUPOS ECOLÓGICOS REPRODUTIVOS EM FLORESTAS ESTACIONAIS SEMIDECIDUAIS Filipe Ferreira de DEUS¹;Vagner Santiago do VALE 2; Ivan SCHIAVINI 3; Paulo Eugênio OLIVEIRA 4 1. Biologist, Ms., Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources, Federal University of Uberlandia – UFU, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil. [email protected]; 2. Dr., Ecology and Conservation of Natural Resources - UFU, Uberlandia, MG, Brazil; 3. Professor, Dr., Institute of Biology – INBIO - UFU Uberlandia, MG, Brazil; 4 Professor, Dr., Institute of Biology – INBIO - Uberlandia, MG, Brazil. [email protected] ABSTRACT: Ecosystem degradation leads to loss of interactions between animals and plants, and changes in frequency of pollination systems, dispersal modes and sexual systems of plants. The objective of the present work was to compare the reproductive ecological groups of tree species among semideciduous seasonal forests remnants in the Triangulo Mineiro, Brazil, and to understand the organization of those plant communities. We analyzed the reproductive biology of 243 tree species found in 10 fragments, which showed different levels of disturbance. The occurrence and relative density of the species were used to estimate the importance of each reproductive feature. The study was based on a compilation of data present in specialized works and community surveys conducted in the region. We aggregated the species of these communities in ecological groups according to their reproductive characteristics. The frequency of species in each reproductive ecological group was, to a certain extent, similar between remnants. The pollination by small insects (small bees, wasps and flies) represented 42%, dispersal by birds 35%, and hermaphrodite sexual system 54% of the species. Clearer differences among fragments were found on the relative densities of each reproductive ecological group. Relatively specialized bat and moth pollination, as well as wind dispersal were common in the most disturbed fragment. But generalist reproductive characteristics predominated in the studied fragments. KEYWORDS : Pollination system. Dispersal system. Sexual system. Forest fragments. INTRODUCTION vectors, especially birds and mammals (TALORA; MORELLATO, 2000). Over 90% of the world The Cerrado Biome has a high diversity of Angiosperms are pollinated by animals plant physiognomies intensively explored by man (BUCHMANN; NABHAN, 1996), so pollination is for livestock, agriculture, and sugar cane cultivation essential for the maintenance of biodiversity in (KLINK; MACHADO, 2005), and has been reduced forest ecosystems in general (VAMOSI et al., 2006) to a fraction of the original vegetation. These and in these forests in particular (OLIVEIRA; disturbances contributed to changes in the natural PAULA, 2001). processes of communities, because the composition With the degradation and forest fragmentation, and abundance of species are affected by many of the animal-plant interactions may degradation (NUNES et al., 2003). The disappear, since many species of animals cannot semideciduous seasonal forest ( sensu IBGE 2012), find enough resources to feed or reproduce also referred as dry semideciduous forests efficiently in fragments (FRANCHESCHINELLI et (RIBEIRO; WALTER, 2008), is one of the Cerrado al., 2003). Fragmentation processes of Atlantic phytophysiognomies, which trees elements loose forest areas in Northeastern Brazil have prompted a between 20 and 50% of their leaves during the dry shift in the frequency of certain pollination systems season (RIBEIRO; WALTER, 2008). Many of these and reproductive features, leading to a formations are characterized by a large floristic simplification of the reproductive process and diversity, including species of the Amazon, Atlantic breakdown of the interdependence between animals Forest and Cerrado flora (OLIVEIRA-FILHO; and plants (GIRÃO et al., 2007). With the change of FONTES, 2000). plant-pollinator interactions, the species The plant diversity identified in the remnants of reproductive success is affected, disturbing the seasonal forests suggests an intricate network of processes of seed dispersal and germination, interactions with animals. Hence, the process of reducing the size of populations and often pollination as well as the dispersal of fruits and promoting local extinctions (HARRIS; JOHNSON, seeds are fundamentally dependent on biotic 2004). Received: 03/07/13 Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 30, n. 6, p. 1885-1902, Nov./Dec. 2014 Accepted: 15/06/14 1886 Diversity of reproductive… DEUS, F. F. et al. Considering that each forest fragment has a MATERIAL AND METHODS history of disturbance and occupation by different plant species (LOPES, 2010), we expected to find We here compiled and supplemented variation in the occurrence of pollination systems, information on the reproductive biology and fruit and seed dispersal modes, and sexual systems ecology of tree species found in ten fragments of between fragments. The basic idea is that well semideciduous seasonal forests ( sensu IBGE 2012) preserved forests tend to have species with more of the Triangulo Mineiro region, in Central Brazil specialized reproductive features and which depend (Table 1). These ten forests were studied in more broadly on animal pollinators and dispersers. phytosociological surveys conducted by Lopes Furthermore, the conservation status and the (2010). The relative density data in each area for possibility of recovery of these areas are dependent each species, obtained from that study, were used to on biotic interactions and reproductive requirements estimate similarities and/or differences in the of the plant species in these communities. pollination systems, dispersal and sexual system. Therefore, the objective of the present work was to The species information about the flowering compare the reproductive ecological groups of tree phenology and fruiting was also compiled from species among fragments of semideciduous seasonal herbarium data and specific literature, when forests of Triangulo Mineiro, Brazil, and to available. Data on sexual system, pollination and understand the organization of plant communities, reproduction systems were obtained from literature using those reproductive characteristics. or other community studies conducted in the region (OLIVEIRA; GIBBS, 2000; PINHEIRO; RIBEIRO, 2001). Table 1. Information of the ten fragments of semideciduous seasonal forest ( sensu IBGE 2012) in Triangulo Mineiro region used in the data collection analyzed in this work, Minas Gerais, Brazil. According to the study of Lopes (2010). MASL – Meters above sea level. Altitud Tree Area(h Latitude( Longitude( e density Fragment City Watersheed a) S) W) (MAS (ind.ha -1) L) Água Fria Araguari Rio 200 18°29'50" 48°23'03" 680 839 Paranaíba Ipiaçu Ipiaçu Rio 40 18°43'39" 49°56'22" 530 837 Paranaíba Monte Monte Rio 119 18°44'59" 47°30'56" 910 798 Carmelo Carmelo Paranaíba Uberaba Uberaba Rio Grande 70 19°40'35" 48°02'12" 790 805 Cruzeiro Uberlândia Rio 17,5 18°40'26" 48°24'32" 600 1233 Paranaíba Glória Uberlândia Rio 30 18°57'03" 48°12'22" 880 976 Paranaíba Irara Uberlândia Rio 22,3 19°08'39" 48°08'46" 930 945 Paranaíba Panga Uberlândia Rio 16 19°10'04" 48°23'41" 800 1292 Paranaíba Pereira Uberlândia Rio 35 18°51'35" 48°03'51" 890 1144 Paranaíba São José Uberlândia Rio 20 18°29'50" 48°13'53" 890 1063 Paranaíba Data were compiled and organized into a SMI - small insects (small bees, flies and wasps); spreadsheet of Excel 2007, following some of the LGB - large bees; WIN - wind; VSI - very small categories and parameters used in previous studies insects; BUT - butterflies; BAT - bats; MOT - (PAULA; OLIVEIRA, 2001; GIRÃO et al., 2007). moths; BTL - beetles; NID - not identified. For fruit The categories used for pollination systems were: and seed dispersal modes, the categories were: ORN Biosci. J., Uberlândia, v. 30, n. 6, p. 1885-1902, Nov./Dec. 2014 1887 Diversity of reproductive… DEUS, F. F. et al. - birds; MAM - non-flying mammals; CHI - bats; Yet when considering the sum of the relative density ANE - wind, AUT - autochory; NID – not for each pollination system, the results were more identified. And for the sexual systems the categories contrasting, with pollination by small insects were: DIO: dioecious; MON: monoecious; HER: showing large variations among the ten areas hermaphrodite; NID – not identified. Each of these (Figure 2B). For example, this pollination system categories for pollination system, dispersal system accounted for about 27% of individuals in São José and sexual system were considered reproductive area while in Água Fria it represented 69% of ecological groups. The species richness and relative individuals (Figure 2B). In Ipiaçu fragment, density of the species in each of the studied areas pollination by moths and bats seemed to be more and reproductive ecological group were calculated. important, representing respectively 22% and 25% The relative density was calculated based on the of the relative density and differing from other areas density of each species divided by the total tree where between 2% to 14% were pollinated by moths density in each area (Table 1). The sum of the and 1% to 4% pollinated by bats (Figure 2B). relative densities of species within each Panga, Monte Carmelo and Água Fria were the only reproductive ecological group was used as an fragments with species pollinated by non-flying estimator of the relative importance of each group.