Phenological synchrony and seasonality of understory Rubiaceae in the Atlantic Forest, Bahia, Brazil

Abstract

In tropical forests with low seasonality, climatic variables generally exert a weak infl uence on the phenology of species. Th e seasonality of phenophases in closely related taxa can be controlled by phylogenetic constraints in such environments. In this study, our aim was to describe the phenology of Rubiaceae in the understory of the Atlantic Forest in the southern part of Bahia, Brazil, as well as to evaluate the seasonality and phenological synchrony of this family. For two years, we observed 90 individuals belonging to 13 species, in an area of 0.2 ha. Leaf fl ushing and leaf fall did not demonstrate any seasonality, were continuous for most species and correlated with few of the climatic variables. Flowering was seasonal and correlated positively with all climatic variables. Species exhibited seasonality for this phenophase with high fl owering overlap among species of Psychotria, indicating an aggregated pattern for this genus. Fruiting was also seasonal and correlated with all the climatic variables, unripe fruit development peaking at the beginning of the season during which humidity is highest and fruit ripening peaking in the season during which humidity is slightly lower. Th e vegetative and fl owering patterns observed in the study area are commonly seen in other tropical forests. Th e reproductive seasonality of this family can facilitate the attraction of biotic agents, as postulated in the facilitation hypothesis. Our results demonstrate that climatic variables infl uenced the phenological patterns observed here, although the high reproductive seasonality and interspecifi c synchrony, especially in congeneric species, raises the possibility that phylogenetic proximity plays a role in the pattern of the family Rubiaceae.

Fenologia e modos de polinização e dispersão de Fabaceae em floresta ciliar, Chapada Diamantina, Nordeste do Brasil

“…Famílias de plantas têm sido avaliadas quanto aos padrões fenológicos associados a fatores ambientais (e.g., San Martin-Gajardo & Morellato 2003;Staggemeier et al 2010;Bauer et al 2012;Liuth et al 2013); dentre elas Fabaceae (Bulhão & Figueiredo 2002;Dutra et al 2009), que é uma das mais importantes da flora brasileira e geralmente apresenta eventos foliares e reprodutivos sazonais, especialmente a queda foliar e maturação dos frutos no período seco (Umaña & Alencar 1993;Bulhão & Figueiredo 2002;Pedroni et al 2002;Locatelli & Machado 2004;Cruz Neto et al 2007;Costa & Morais 2008;Oliveira & Sigrist 2008;Pinto et al 2008;Borges et al 2009;Dutra et al 2009;Guedes et al 2009;Navarro et al 2009;Souza et al 2012). Entretanto, considerando a riqueza e abundância de Fabaceae nos diferentes ecossistemas brasileiros (Lima et al 2014), as abordagens fenológicas realizadas até o momento configuram ainda um painel pouco representativo para a compreensão das estratégias foliares e reprodutivas na família.…”

Theoretical predictions of plant-pollinator interactions in sympatric species of Psychotria (Rubiaceae) in Cerrado of Brazil

“…Rainfall seems to be a predominant factor in determining the flowering period of Psychotria species (Liuth et al 2013). For instance, P. hoffmannseggiana (Willd.…”

“…This genus is comprised predominantly of shrubs or treelets (Carvalho et al 2000), which are common in the understory of tropical forests (Taylor 1996, Orians 1997, Lopes & Buzato 2005 and are important for ecosystem function (Lopes & Buzato 2005). Therefore, Psychotria provides a unique opportunity to analyse the relationships between plants and pollinators of sympatric congeneric species that flower synchronously (Sakai & Wright 2008, Liuth et al 2013. In this study, interactions between potentially sympatric Psychotria species and their pollinators were analysed to assess the occurrence of pollinators sharing, and specialisation or generalisation in plant-pollinator interactions.…”

Sapindaceae em remanescentes de florestas montanas no sul da Bahia, Brasil

“…1). Descrições mais detalhadas sobre as áreas de estudo, incluindo dados climáticos e de relevo foram apresentados em Amorim et al (2009), Rocha & Amorim (2012), Liuth et al (2013), Coelho & Amorim (2014) e Leitman et al (2014).…”