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Avian frugivory in Miconia (Melastomataceae): contrasting fruiting times promote habitat complementarity between savanna and palm swamp

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2013

Pietro K. Maruyama ,
Mariana R. Borges ,
Paulo A. Silva ,
Kevin C. Burns  and
Celine Melo
Pietro K. Maruyama*
Affiliation:
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). Cx. Postal 593, CEP: 38900-402, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Mariana R. Borges
Affiliation:
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). Cx. Postal 593, CEP: 38900-402, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Paulo A. Silva
Affiliation:
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). Cx. Postal 593, CEP: 38900-402, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
Kevin C. Burns
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, P.O. Box 600, Wellington 6015, New Zealand
Celine Melo
Affiliation:
Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU). Cx. Postal 593, CEP: 38900-402, Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil
*
1Corresponding author. Current address: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Cx. Postal 6109, CEP: 13083-862, Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil. Email: pietrokiyoshi@gmail.com
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Abstract:

Species of Miconia are considered keystone plant resources for frugivorous birds in Neotropical forests, but for other ecosystems little of their ecological role is known. The fruiting phenology and the composition of frugivores of four Miconia species in savanna and palm swamp from the Brazilian Neotropical savanna were studied in three sites from November 2005 to May 2011. The hypothesis tested was that plants from different habitats share their frugivores and consequently promote links between habitats. Through focal plant observations (30–50 h per species in each site), 668 visits by 47 species of birds were recorded and plants from different habitats shared most of the frugivores (49–97%). The fruiting of Miconia chamissois in the palm swamp during the period of fruit scarcity (dry season) was accompanied by an enhancement in the frugivore bird richness and abundance in this habitat, providing indirect evidence of resource tracking. Bird species which primarily dwell in savanna recorded consuming fruits in palm swamps during the resource-scarce season is taken as evidence of landscape supplementation. Miconia assemblage studied here seems to promote a link between two adjacent habitats in the Neotropical savanna from Central Brazil, a link which is likely to be common in this naturally patchy ecosystem.

Keywords

keystone plant resourcelandscape supplementationMiconia chamissoisNeotropical savannanull modelsphenology
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , March 2013 , pp. 99 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013

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