We studied the reproductive attributes (reproductive phenology, pollination and seed dispersion) of understory woody species from a rainforest area in the Araripe‐Apodi National Forest (FLONA), NE Brazil. The FLONA has a representative number of fauna and flora species that are important for the local climatic, hydrological and ecological equilibrium of the region. The community was composed of 68 species distributed in 43 genera and 26 plant families. Melastomataceae was the family with the highest species richness. Most species (61.76%) shared floral traits that promoted bee pollination, for example white, dish type, medium‐sized flowers with pollen as the main resource. Zoochory was the most frequent dispersion system (76.47%), followed by autochory (16.17%) and anemochory (7.35%). Resource distribution (flowers and fruits) was uniform throughout the year, and pollination and dispersion networks were significantly modular, composed of five and four modules, respectively. In the pollination network, bees occurred in almost all modules, but flies, hummingbirds, butterflies and hawk moths were more restricted to certain modules, partially highlighting the idea of pollination syndromes. In the dispersion network, the modules were composed of birds from different families; only one module was comprised of all sampled mammals. Our results show that most species depend on the action of biotic vectors during their reproductive processes (pollination and dispersal). Those interactions are fundamental for maintaining biological diversity in different tropical ecosystems.

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Reproductive biology and pollination of the fanwort, Cabomba aquatica Aubl., were studied in populations from dams located in Dois Irmãos State Park, Recife, Pernambuco state, northeastern Brazil. Flower anthesis in this species is diurnal and lasts two days. The flowers are bisexual and exhibit herkogamy and incomplete protogyny. Each flower produces an average of 2.1 ± 94.8 pollen grains, with a P/O ratio of 1.055 and high pollen viability (99.7%). This species is self-compatible, but requires biotic vectors to transfer pollen. We observed visits of bees (Apidae and Halictidae), wasps (Vespidae) and flies (Diptera) to the flowers. Bees and wasps were considered to be effective pollinators, both due to their behavior and their high frequency of visits to flowers, whereas flies were considered to be occasional pollinators. The floral mechanism (herkogamy and protogyny), together with low nectar production and pollinator behavior during visits, may contribute to increase pollen flow between individuals. Key-words: Cabomba, dichogamy, entomophily, herkogamy, self-compatibility. ResumoA biologia reprodutiva e a polinização de Cabomba aquatica Aubl. foram estudadas em populações presentes em açudes localizados no interior do Parque Estadual de Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE. A antese das flores é diurna, com dois dias de duração. As flores são bissexuais e apresentam hercogamia e protoginia incompleta. Cada flor produz em média 2.111±94 grãos de pólen, com uma razão P/O de 1,055 e elevada viabilidade polínica (99,7%). A espécie é autocompatível, porém demonstrou a necessidade de vetores bióticos para a transferência do pólen. Foram observadas visitas de abelhas (Apidae e Halictidae), vespas (Vespidae) e moscas (Diptera).As abelhas e vespas foram consideradas como polinizadores efetivos, tanto pelo comportamento como pela alta freqüência nas visitas, enquanto que as moscas foram consideradas polinizadores ocasionais. O mecanismo floral (hercogamia e protoginia), associado com a baixa produção de néctar e o comportamento dos polinizadores durante as visitas podem contribuir para aumentar o fluxo polínico entre os indivíduos.