Floral visitors and potential pollinators of a rupicolous bromeliad (Pitcairnioideae) in the Brazilian semiarid

Abstract

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0), which permits reproduction, adaptation, and distribution provided the original author and source are credited. AbstractThere have been few studies about the pollinators of bromeliads of the genus Encholirium. Considering this lack of information, this study comes to fill a gap in the literature on the floral visitors and potential pollinators of E. spectabile. In order to perform this study, we observed the inflorescence of this species between 2011 and 2014 (four years of observation), in the semiarid region of Santa Maria municipality (Rio Grande do Norte state, northeastern Brazil). Floral visitors were observed through focal method. The observations were made during the day, starting at 06h a.m. until 06h p.m., and at night from 07h until 11h59 p.m. In about 1,800 hours of observations, 24 species were recorded visiting E. spectabile flowers, including 4 species of moths (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae and Geometridae), 3 species of bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), 4 species of hummingbirds (Aves: Trochilidae) and 2 species of bats (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), among others. Based on these results, we propose that the macambira bromeliads (E. spectabile) should be considered as key elements in the conservation of various taxonomic groups in the semiarid region, through the umbrella species theory as already proposed for other species of Bromeliaceae. Keywords: associated fauna, caatinga biome, macambiras, Encholirium spectabile, biodiversity. ResumoExistem poucos estudos a respeito dos polinizadores de bromélias do gênero Encholirium. Dessa forma, este estudo vem preencher a lacuna na literatura sobre os visitantes florais e potenciais polinizadores de E. spectabile. Para sua realização, observamos a inflorescência dessa espécie no período de 2011 a 2014 (quatro anos de observações), na região semiárida, no município de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Os visitantes florais foram registrados por meio do método focal. As observações foram conduzidas durante o dia, começando às 06h da manhã e seguindo até às 18h e, à noite, das 19h às 23h59min. Em cerca de 1.800 horas de observação, 24 espécies foram registradas visitando a inflorescência de E. spectabile, incluindo 4 espécies de mariposas (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae e Geometridae), 3 espécies de abelhas (Hymenoptera: Apidae), 4 espécies de beija-flores (Aves: Trochilidae) e 2 espécies de morcegos (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), entre outros. Com base nesses resultados, e subsidiados pela teoria das espécies guarda-chuva, sugerimos que as bromélias macambiras (E. spectabile) sejam consideradas como elementos chave na conservação de vários grupos taxonômicos de região semiárida.Palavras-chave: fauna associada, bioma caatinga, macambiras, Encholirium spectabile, biodiversidade.

Living among thorns: herpetofaunal community (Anura and Squamata) associated to the rupicolous bromeliad Encholirium spectabile (Pitcairnioideae) in the Brazilian semi-arid Caatinga

“…With respect to reptiles, we registered six of the ten lizard species of Gekkonidae, Phyllodactylidae, Tropiduridae and Mabuyidae, and six of the fifteen snake species of Boidae and Colubridae registered in all habitats of another Caatinga site of Rio Grande do Norte (Freire et al 2009, Andrade et al 2013. Our results, therefore, support the relevance of this non-phytotelmata rupicolous bromeliad as an important habitat for biological diversity in the Caatinga, as has been suggested for phytotelmata bromeliads in other ecosystems (Rocha et al 1997, 2004, Jorge et al 2018).…”

“…20), functioning as foraging and thermoragulating sites by the herpetofauna, and also as display sites by males of anurans, as previously stated. Inflorescence stems were used only by a few species of lizards and snakes (Table 1), and probably function as foraging sites since the flowers attract several arthropod species (Jorge et al 2018). Oliveira et al (2017) demonstrated the importance of bromeliads for anuran communities in restinga habitats of the southeastern Brazilian coast.…”

“…Picado 1913, Laessle 1961, Frank 1983, Richardson 1999, Cruz-Ruiz et al 2012, McCracken and Forstner 2014, while studies with non-phytotelmata Pitcairnioideae bromeliads are still scarce (e.g. Jorge et al 2018).…”

“…& Schult.f., which occurs throughout the Caatinga in northeastern Brasil, and also in transitional areas between Caatinga and Atlantic Forest (Forzza 2005, Givnish et al 2007, Forzza and Zappi 2011. Despite not having phytotelma, Encholirium bromeliads have strongly aculeated leaves and form large agglomerates (patches); these characteristics ensure the formation of tangled structures which may function as a refuge for local fauna, as potential predators tend to avoid persecution into these plants due to thorn injuries on their bodies (Rocha et al 2004, Jorge et al 2014, 2018.…”

The rupicolous bromeliad (Encholirium spectabile) as a keystone species for Brazilian semiarid biodiversity

“…2015, Jorge et al. 2018, 2020), but a broad investigation regarding its importance for the biodiversity of a large variety of vertebrate and invertebrate associated species from different trophic guilds and ecological functions is still lacking. We have also tried to describe the type of use (e.g., foraging, shelter, thermoregulation, reproduction), the associated fauna makes of the habitat provided by E .…”