Frugivory and dispersal of Faramea cyanea (Rubiaceae) in Cerrado woody plant formations

Abstract

The objective of this study was to observe and compare the community of birds that utilize the tree species Faramea cyanea, in contiguous areas of cerradão and gallery forest, and also to characterize the behavioral patterns of the birds. The study was carried out in the Panga Ecological Station (Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State), in April and May 2001. Nine individuals of F. cyanea were observed in periods between 06:45-11:30 h for a total of 44.5 hours. There were 204 visits by 13 bird species. Tyrannidae was the most represented family (five species) and Turdidae, the most frequent (72.1% of visits). The number of consumed fruits was correlated with the permanence time on the plant. There was no significant difference between the two forests habitats, in terms of foraging tactics or fruit consumption strategies. In spite of the predominance of omnivorous birds (89.5%) in both habitats, the swallower strategy (84.2%) indicates high seed dispersal potential. Antilophia galeata, a frugivorous bird, presented the greatest rate of consumed fruits per minute in both gallery forest (2.15) and cerradão (1.06).

Frugivory by birds on Schefflera morototoni (Araliaceae) in a Cerrado-Amazon orest transition area, eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil

“…Francisco and Galetti 2001;Melo et al 2003). The high richness of bird species with dispersal potential, different specific strategies for obtaining fruits and the high consumption of fruits suggest the existence of strong interactions between S. morototoni and the local frugivorous avifauna.…”

Frugivory and seed dispersal of Miconia theaezans (Bonpl.) Cogniaux (Melastomataceae) by birds in a transition palm swamp: gallery forest in Central Brazil

“…The most commonly-used foraging technique (collecting the fruit while perched) is advantageous for the bird because it demands a lower energy cost and allows an increase in the rate of fruit consumption per minute (Melo et al, 2003). However, when the fruit is collected by the bird in flight, the visits are shorter and the frugivore tends to move more, which increases the chances of dispersing the seeds farther from the mother plant (Melo and Oliveira, 2009); this is favorable for plant fitness, but results in greater energy loss for the consumer (Melo and Oliveira, 2009).…”

“…During the observation sessions, the following information was registered: species of bird consuming the fruit, time of arrival and departure from the plant, number of units consumed, foraging tactics and consumption strategies (Melo et al, 2003;Melo and Oliveira, 2009). Taxonomic classification was in accordance with CBRO (2009).…”

“…In this biome, various plant species present fruit with attractive characteristics for animal consumption, and constitute an important food source, especially for frugivorous birds (Francisco and Galetti, 2001;Francisco and Galetti, 2002a,b;Marcondes-Machado, 2002;Melo et al, 2003;Francisco et al, 2007;Melo and Oliveira, 2009), a group that stands out when compared to other vertebrate dispersers due to its mobility and diversity of species (Scherer et al, 2007).…”

Biologia reprodutiva de Psychotria spectabilis Steyrm. e Palicourea cf. virens (Poepp & Endl.) Standl. (Rubiaceae) em uma floresta tropical úmida na região de Manaus, AM, Brasil

“…A família Rubiaceae é bem representada no subbosque de florestas tropicais exercendo papel fundamental na estrutura da comunidade, além de ser fonte de recursos para os animais que se alimentam de pólen, néctar e frutos (Poulin et al 1999;Castro & Oliveira 2002;Melo et al 2003). Seus representantes apresentam hábitos bastante variados como árvores, arbustos, lianas, ervas, epífitas e algumas raras espécies aquáticas (Gentry & Emmons 1987) e um amplo espectro de polinizadores tais como borboletas e abelhas com probóscide longa (Stone 1996;Taylor 1997;Ortiz et al 2000;Castro & Oliveira 2002), mariposas (Imbert & Richards 1993;Wolff et al 2003), moscas (Riveros et al 1995;Ortiz et al 2000) e beija-flores (Bawa & Beach 1983;Feinsinger & Busby 1987;Passos & Sazima 1995;Castro & Oliveira 2001).…”