Bird-plant interaction networks in native forests and eucalyptus plantations within a protected area

Abstract Frugivory is a plant-animal mutualistic interaction carried out mostly by birds. It consists in the bird consumption of fruits with later dispersion of the plants seeds, helping in the vegetation regeneration. Frugivory can be affected by the habitat fragmentation and introduction of exotic species, which may alter the species interaction by extinction or competitor introduction. This study aimed to compare the structure of the network of frugivorous interactions between birds and plants in native forest and eucalyptus plantation. Birds were captured by mist nets and had their feces collected. Later, the seeds were identified in laboratory. The records of fruit consumption by birds in the zoochoric plant species present in the study area were also conducted. The data collected was used to build a network of interactions and identify the most important network metrics, species, and ecological functional groups in the studied environments. The results showed that the species composition, the connectivity of the relationships, the importance of the species for the interaction networks and the number of subgroups within the networks were highly similar between the native forest and the eucalyptus plantation. This could be explained by the favorable conditions that the studied eucalyptus plantations presented, such as the lack of anthropogenic activities, well-developed understory, and the presence of native surrounding vegetation, allowing practically the same seed dispersal capacity in both types of environments.

Bird-plant interaction networks in native forests and eucalyptus plantations within a protected area

Abstract Frugivory is a plant-animal mutualistic interaction carried out mostly by birds. It consists in the bird consumption of fruits with later dispersion of the plants' seeds, helping in the vegetation regeneration. Frugivory can be affected by the habitat fragmentation and introduction of exotic species, which may alter the species interaction by extinction or competitor introduction. This study aimed to compare the structure of the network of frugivorous interactions between birds and plants in native forest and eucalyptus plantation. Birds were captured by mist nets and had their feces collected. Later, the seeds were identified in laboratory. The records of fruit consumption by birds in the zoochoric plant species present in the study area were also conducted. The data collected was used to build a network of interactions and identify the most important network metrics, species, and ecological functional groups in the studied environments. The results showed that the species composition, the connectivity of the relationships, the importance of the species for the interaction networks and the number of subgroups within the networks were highly similar between the native forest and the eucalyptus plantation. This could be explained by the favorable conditions that the studied eucalyptus plantations presented, such as the lack of anthropogenic activities, well-developed understory, and the presence of native surrounding vegetation, allowing practically the same seed dispersal capacity in both types of environments.

Bird-plant interaction networks in native forests and eucalyptus plantations within a protected area

Frugivory is a plant-animal mutualistic interaction carried out mostly by birds. It consists in the bird consumption of fruits with later dispersion of the plants seeds, helping in the vegetation regeneration. Frugivory can be affected by the habitat fragmentation and introduction of exotic species, which may alter the species interaction by extinction or competitor introduction. This study aimed to compare the structure of the network of frugivorous interactions between birds and plants in native forest and eucalyptus plantation. Birds were captured by mist nets and had their feces collected. Later, the seeds were identified in laboratory. The records of fruit consumption by birds in the zoochoric plant species present in the study area were also conducted. The data collected was used to build a network of interactions and identify the most important network metrics, species, and ecological functional groups in the studied environments. The results showed that the species composition, the connectivity of the relationships, the importance of the species for the interaction networks and the number of subgroups within the networks were highly similar between the native forest and the eucalyptus plantation. This could be explained by the favorable conditions that the studied eucalyptus plantations presented, such as the lack of anthropogenic activities, well-developed understory, and the presence of native surrounding vegetation, allowing practically the same seed dispersal capacity in both types of environments.(AU)

Síndromes de dispersão de diásporos das espécies de trechos de vegetação ciliar do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT / Syndromes of diaspores dispersal of species of riparian vegetation of the river from Pacas, Querência - MT

As adaptações das plantas, conforme seus agentes dispersores, correlacionam-se com as características morfológicas de cada espécie e família e com a região em que esta predomina, sendo que as sementes evoluíram de acordo com os dispersores. A dispersão de sementes mais freqüente em florestas tropicais é a zoocoria, daí a importância na conservação de corredores ecológicos, que possibilitam a disseminação de espécies de um fragmento para outro. Diante do fato, este trabalho teve por objetivo listar as principais síndromes de dispersão de sementes de espécies ocorrentes em trechos de Floresta Estacional Perenifólia Ribeirinha do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT, a fim de identificar o principal tipo de dispersão. As informações sobre as síndromes de dispersão foram coletadas em campo, juntamente com a amostragem da vegetação, a qual foi dividida em estratos de acordo com a altura dos indivíduos amostrados. Foram identificadas 69 espécies, pertencentes a 51 gêneros e 31 famílias botânicas. As famílias com maior riqueza foram Annonaceae e Fabaceae, a qual apresentou a maior diversificação de síndromes. A zoocoria foi a síndrome de maior expressividade, com 86 por cento do total de espécies, seguida da anemocoria (10 por cento), autocoria (3 por cento) e barocoria (1 por cento). O estrato inferior (sub-bosque) e intermediário (dossel) possui maior porcentagem de espécies zoocóricas do que no estrato superior (emergente), onde a anemocoria foi mais importante. Estes resultados evidenciam a forte relação entre a vegetação e a fauna na manutenção das populações de plantas no ambiente ciliar, bem como a importância de se manter corredores ecológicos entre os fragmentos florestais.

The adaptations of plants, as its agents dispersers correlated with the morphological characteristics of each specie and family, and with the region in which it dominates, and the seeds progressed according to the dispersors. The zoochory is the most frequent seed dispersal in the tropical forest, hence the importance in the conservation of ecological corridors, which allowed the spread of species of a fragment to another. Given the fact, this study aimed to trace the major processes of the seed dispersal of species occurring in the Riparian Evergreen Seasonal Forest areas of the Pacas river, Querência - MT, to identify the main dispersal type. The informations on dispersal syndromes were collected in the field during the sampling the vegetation, wich was divided in strata, according to the eight of the individuals sampled. We identified 69 species, belonged 51 genera and 31 botanic families. The families with the greatest richness were Annonaceae and Fabaceae, which showed the greatest variety syndromes. The zoochory were syndrome the more important, with 86 percent the total species, followed by anemochory (10 percent), autochory (3 percent) and barochory (1 percent). The lower (understory) and intermediate (canopy) strata have percentage zoochoric species higher than upper stratum (emergente), where the anemochory was the more important. These results demonstrate the strong relationship between the vegetation and animals in the maintenance of plant populations in the riparian environment and the importance of maintaining ecological corridors between forest fragments.

Síndromes de dispersão de diásporos das espécies de trechos de vegetação ciliar do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT

The adaptations of plants, as its agents dispersers correlated with the morphological characteristics of each specie and family, and with the region in which it dominates, and the seeds progressed according to the dispersors. The zoochory is the most frequent seed dispersal in the tropical forest, hence the importance in the conservation of ecological corridors, which allowed the spread of species of a fragment to another. Given the fact, this study aimed to trace the major processes of the seed dispersal of species occurring in the Riparian Evergreen Seasonal Forest areas of the Pacas river, Querência - MT, to identify the main dispersal type. The informations on dispersal syndromes were collected in the field during the sampling the vegetation, wich was divided in strata, according to the eight of the individuals sampled. We identified 69 species, belonged 51 genera and 31 botanic families. The families with the greatest richness were Annonaceae and Fabaceae, which showed the greatest variety syndromes. The zoochory were syndrome the more important, with 86% the total species, followed by anemochory (10%), autochory (3%) and barochory (1%). The lower (understory) and intermediate (canopy) strata have percentage zoochoric species higher than upper stratum (emergente), where the anemochory was the more important. These results demonstrate the strong relationship between the vegetation and animals in the maintenance of plant populations in the riparian environment and the importance of maintaining ecological corridors between forest fragments.

As adaptações das plantas, conforme seus agentes dispersores, correlacionam-se com as características morfológicas de cada espécie e família e com a região em que esta predomina, sendo que as sementes evoluíram de acordo com os dispersores. A dispersão de sementes mais freqüente em florestas tropicais é a zoocoria, daí a importância na conservação de corredores ecológicos, que possibilitam a disseminação de espécies de um fragmento para outro. Diante do fato, este trabalho teve por objetivo listar as principais síndromes de dispersão de sementes de espécies ocorrentes em trechos de Floresta Estacional Perenifólia Ribeirinha do rio das Pacas, Querência - MT, a fim de identificar o principal tipo de dispersão. As informações sobre as síndromes de dispersão foram coletadas em campo, juntamente com a amostragem da vegetação, a qual foi dividida em estratos de acordo com a altura dos indivíduos amostrados. Foram identificadas 69 espécies, pertencentes a 51 gêneros e 31 famílias botânicas. As famílias com maior riqueza foram Annonaceae e Fabaceae, a qual apresentou a maior diversificação de síndromes. A zoocoria foi a síndrome de maior expressividade, com 86% do total de espécies, seguida da anemocoria (10%), autocoria (3%) e barocoria (1%). O estrato inferior (sub-bosque) e intermediário (dossel) possui maior porcentagem de espécies zoocóricas do que no estrato superior (emergente), onde a anemocoria foi mais importante. Estes resultados evidenciam a forte relação entre a vegetação e a fauna na manutenção das populações de plantas no ambiente ciliar, bem como a importância de se manter corredores ecológicos entre os fragmentos florestais.

Invertebrate dispersal by waterbird species in neotropical wetlands

Abstract Endozoochory by waterbirds is particularly relevant to the dispersal of non-flying aquatic invertebrates. This ecological function exercised by birds has been demonstrated in different biogeographical regions, but there are no studies for the neotropical region. In this work, we identified propagules of invertebrates in faeces of 14 syntopic South American waterbird species representing six families, and hatched additional invertebrates from cultured faeces. We tested whether propagule abundance, species richness and composition varied among bird species, and between the cold and warm seasons. We found 164 invertebrate propagules in faecal samples from seven different waterbirds species, including eggs of the Temnocephalida and Notonectidae, statoblasts of bryozoans (Plumatella sp.) and ephippia of Cladocera. Ciliates (including Paramecium sp. and Litostomatea), nematodes and rotifers (Adineta sp. and Nottomatidae) hatched from cultured samples. Potential for endozoochory was confirmed for 12 of 14 waterbird species. Our statistical models suggest that richness and abundance of propagules are associated with bird species and not affected by seasonality. Dispersal by endozoochory is potentially important to a broad variety of invertebrates, being promoted by waterbirds with different ecological and morphological traits, which are likely to drive the dispersal of invertebrates in neotropical wetlands.

Resumo A endozoocoria promovida por aves aquáticas é particularmente relevante para a dispersão de invertebrados aquáticos não-voadores. Essa função ecológica exercida pelas aves tem sido demonstrada para diferentes regiões biogeográficas, porém, não existem estudos para a região neotropical. Neste trabalho nós identificamos propágulos de invertebrados encontrados em fezes de 14 espécies sintópicas de aves aquáticas da América do Sul, representando seis famílias de aves, e também invertebrados emergidos de amostras fecais cultivadas em laboratório. Testamos se a abundância, riqueza de espécies e composição de propágulos de invertebrados variavam entre as espécies de aves e entre estações. Nós encontramos 164 propágulos de invertebrados em amostras fecais de sete espécies de aves, incluindo ovos de Temnocephalida e Notonectidae, estatoblastos de briozoários (Plumatella sp.) e efípios de Cladocera. Ciliados (incluindo Paramecium sp. e Litostomatea), nematóides e rotíferos (Adineta sp. e Nottomatidae) eclodiram de amostras cultivadas. O potencial para endozoocoria foi confirmado para 12 das 14 espécies de aves aquáticas investigadas. Nossos modelos estatísticos sugerem que a riqueza e abundância de propágulos estão associadas às espécies de aves e não são afetadas pela sazonalidade. A dispersão por endozoocoria é importante para uma ampla variedade de invertebrados, sendo promovida por aves aquáticas com diferentes características ecológicas e morfológicas as quais provavelmente regulam a dispersão de invertebrados entre áreas úmidas neotropicais.

Invertebrate dispersal by waterbird species in neotropical wetlands / A dispersão de invertebrados por aves aquáticas na região neotropical

Abstract Endozoochory by waterbirds is particularly relevant to the dispersal of non-flying aquatic invertebrates. This ecological function exercised by birds has been demonstrated in different biogeographical regions, but there are no studies for the neotropical region. In this work, we identified propagules of invertebrates in faeces of 14 syntopic South American waterbird species representing six families, and hatched additional invertebrates from cultured faeces. We tested whether propagule abundance, species richness and composition varied among bird species, and between the cold and warm seasons. We found 164 invertebrate propagules in faecal samples from seven different waterbirds species, including eggs of the Temnocephalida and Notonectidae, statoblasts of bryozoans (Plumatella sp.) and ephippia of Cladocera. Ciliates (including Paramecium sp. and Litostomatea), nematodes and rotifers (Adineta sp. and Nottomatidae) hatched from cultured samples. Potential for endozoochory was confirmed for 12 of 14 waterbird species. Our statistical models suggest that richness and abundance of propagules are associated with bird species and not affected by seasonality. Dispersal by endozoochory is potentially important to a broad variety of invertebrates, being promoted by waterbirds with different ecological and morphological traits, which are likely to drive the dispersal of invertebrates in neotropical wetlands.

Resumo A endozoocoria promovida por aves aquáticas é particularmente relevante para a dispersão de invertebrados aquáticos não-voadores. Essa função ecológica exercida pelas aves tem sido demonstrada para diferentes regiões biogeográficas, porém, não existem estudos para a região neotropical. Neste trabalho nós identificamos propágulos de invertebrados encontrados em fezes de 14 espécies sintópicas de aves aquáticas da América do Sul, representando seis famílias de aves, e também invertebrados emergidos de amostras fecais cultivadas em laboratório. Testamos se a abundância, riqueza de espécies e composição de propágulos de invertebrados variavam entre as espécies de aves e entre estações. Nós encontramos 164 propágulos de invertebrados em amostras fecais de sete espécies de aves, incluindo ovos de Temnocephalida e Notonectidae, estatoblastos de briozoários (Plumatella sp.) e efípios de Cladocera. Ciliados (incluindo Paramecium sp. e Litostomatea), nematóides e rotíferos (Adineta sp. e Nottomatidae) eclodiram de amostras cultivadas. O potencial para endozoocoria foi confirmado para 12 das 14 espécies de aves aquáticas investigadas. Nossos modelos estatísticos sugerem que a riqueza e abundância de propágulos estão associadas às espécies de aves e não são afetadas pela sazonalidade. A dispersão por endozoocoria é importante para uma ampla variedade de invertebrados, sendo promovida por aves aquáticas com diferentes características ecológicas e morfológicas as quais provavelmente regulam a dispersão de invertebrados entre áreas úmidas neotropicais.