Relationship between invertebrate fauna and bromeliad size

Abstract

Several bromeliads species store water and organic substrates, allowing the establishment of phytotelmata and associated fauna on their leaves. In this study, we sampled 70 individuals of Vriesea sp. (Carrière) (Bromeliaceae), in rupestrian fields in the Serra de Ouro Branco-MG, Brazil. The relationships between invertebrate species richness and abundance and size of bromeliads were tested using multiple regression. We found 19 species associated with bromeliads, mainly Diptera larvae. The abundance of the phytotelmate fauna increased principally in relation to the volume of water in the bromeliad reservoir. Phytotelmata richness was affected principally by diameter of the reservoir. There was a significant relationship between the abundance and richness of invertebrates associated with leaves with diameter and height of the plant. Invertebrate richness was better explained by abundance of individuals. These results suggest that the increase of richness was attended by higher numbers of microhabitats and more space for colonization of bigger bromeliads. Additionally, there was more chance of sampling different species in locales with greater abundance of individuals.Keywords: species-area relationship, phytotelmata fauna, insects, Bromeliaceae. Relação entre a fauna de invertebrados e o tamanho da bromélia ResumoMuitas espécies de bromélias são capazes de armazenar água e detritos, permitindo o estabelecimento de comunidades associadas aos seus tanques de água e às suas folhas. Neste trabalho, foram amostrados 70 indivíduos de Vriesea sp. (Carrière) (Bromeliaceae), em uma área de campo rupestre na Serra de Ouro Branco-MG, Brasil. Foi testada a relação entre a riqueza e a abundância das comunidades de invertebrados associados e o tamanho da bromélia. Em todos os casos foram utilizadas análises de regressão linear múltipla. Foram amostradas 19 espécies, principalmente larvas de Diptera associadas à bromélia. A abundância da fauna fitotelmata aumentou principalmente com o volume de água no reservatório da bromélia. Já a riqueza de fitotelmata foi relacionada principalmente com o diâmetro da planta. No entanto, a abundância e riqueza dos invertebrados associados às folhas apresentaram relação significativa com a altura e o diâmetro da planta. A riqueza de invertebrados foi mais bem explicada pela abundância de indivíduos do que pelo tamanho da bromélia. Estes resultados sugerem que o aumento da riqueza pode ter sido resultante do maior número de microhabitats e de espaço para colonização em bromélia de maior tamanho. Além disso, houve maior chance de amostrar espécies diferentes em locais com maior abundância de indivíduos.Palavras-chave: relação espécie-área, fauna fitotelmata, insetos, Bromeliaceae.

Aquatic invertebrates associated with bromeliads in Atlantic Forest fragments

“…In general, the composition of invertebrates found in this study was similar to those found in other studies investigating the fauna of bromeliads in different regions of Brazil (Lopez 1998, Araújo et al 2007, Marques et al 2008, Sodré 2010. This result corroborates Mestre et al (2000), who indicated the possible existence of a characteristic bromeliad fauna associated with these plants, permanent and transitory, but with a predominance of some groups adapted to changes in the chemical composition and input of nutrients to the bromeliads (Schuttz et al 2012).…”

“…Among the insects collected, the majority belonged to the sub-order Nematocera (Diptera), which is associated with moist environments (Grimaldi & Engel, 2005) because their reproduction depends on the availability of water reservoirs for larval development. Culicidae was the most abundant family in all the bromeliads, corroborating the findings of Hilsenhoff (1991), Araújo et al (2007), and Parker et al (2012), all of whom observed this family, along with the Chironomidae, to be among the most abundant phytotelma insects. In this study, Chironomidae was represented mainly by the sub-family Tanypodinae, a result that differs from that reported by Sodré (2010) in Atlantic Forest areas of Rio de Janeiro.…”

“…Some invertebrates, such as oligochaetes and ostracods, spend their entire lives inside the cisterns of bromeliads (Montero et al 2010, Pinto & Jocqué 2013, while others are only found in such habitats in immature forms, mainly beetles and flies (Mestre et al 2001). These organisms play an important role (Sodré et al 2010), by helping to degrade the organic matter falling from the forest canopy, accelerating the release of nutrients to the bromeliad (Benzing 1990, Richardson 1999, Armbruster et al 2002, Araújo et al 2007, Brouard et al 2012. Furthermore, Martinelli et al (2008) mentioned the ecological importance of bromeliads due to their interaction with fauna, making a considerable contribution of the biodiversity of the communities in which they live.…”

Plant structure predicts leaf litter capture in the tropical montane bromeliad Tillandsia turneri

“…Moreover, bromeliad structure has only been related to the invertebrate community associated with bromeliads (Richardson, 1999;Armbruster et al, 2002;Araújo et al, 2007), vertebrate species (Cruz-Ruiz et al, 2012), the amount of water (Zotz and Vera, 1999), prey vulnerability (Saha et al, 2009), and detrital processing (Srivastava, 2006). In this study, we evaluated the relationship between bromeliad structure and the amount of litter retained, and built a model to predict leaf litter capture using measures of plant structure in Tillandsia turneri Baker 1888.…”

Efeito de bioestimulante composto de cinetina, ácido indolbutírico e ácido giberélico em epífitas, visando a restauração florestal

“…As plantas da família Bromeliaceae destacam-se, principalmente, pela presença nas axilas das folhas de abrigos conhecidos como cisterna ou tanque que acumulam água, aonde são encontradas comunidades aquáticas conhecidas por fitotelmata que contém inúmeros organismos responsáveis pela degradação da matéria orgânica ali depositada (Araújo et al 2007). São encontrados em meio à flora epifítica anelídeos e ostracodermos (Lopez et al 2005), aranhas (Romero 2006), girinos, lagartos e cobras (Benzing 1990) e aves (Nadkarni & Matelson 1989).…”