The pollination of Bromelia antiacantha (Bromeliaceae) in southeastern Brazil: ornithophilous versus melittophilous features

Bromelia antiacantha flowered from December to February and during this period the central leaves and bracts displayed a bright red colour. The inflorescence bears 150-350 flowers, with 10-35 flowers opening per day over 4-5 days. The flowers are dark magenta coloured with white margins, tubular-shaped with a wide opening, and their stigma is situated below the anthers. Anthesis began around 4:00 h and flowers lasted approximately 15 h. The highest nectar volume and sugar concentration occurred between 4:00-6:00 h; after this period, both decreased throughout the day. B. antiacantha is partially self-incompatible, non-autogamous, and therefore, pollinator dependent. The hummingbirds Thalurania glaucopis, Amazilia fimbriata, and Ramphodon naevius were its most frequent pollinators (55% of the visits), visiting flowers mainly in the afternoon. The scattered distribution of B. antiacantha promoted trap-lining behaviour of the hummingbirds, which favoured fruit set through xenogamy. Corolla colour, wide flower opening, sweet odour and concentrated nectar early in the day favoured bee visitation. Of the 38 % of bee visits, 96% were made by Bombus morio, mainly in the morning and their behaviour promoted self-pollination. The bee Trigona spinipes frequently acted as a pollen and nectar thief early in the morning, excluding most of the hummingbirds. Bromelia antiacantha has ornithophilous and melittophilous features, and despite being pollinated by two kinds of agents, its reproductive success depends on a given set of circumstances.     

Possible pollination by hummingbirds inAnthurium sanguineum Engl. (Araceae)

Species ofAnthurium presumably are pollinated by insects. In the montane rainforests of western Colombia we recorded eight species of hummingbirds paying regular visits to the nectar-producing inflorescences ofAnthurium sanguineum. At peak-floweringA. sanguineum plays an important role in the birds' nutrition. Pollen is deposited on the tip of the birds' bills, indicating that pollination by hummingbirds occurs frequently. As no other flower visitors were recorded, we consider hummingbirds the main pollinators toA. sanguineum.     

Edge Effects and Seedling Bank Depletion: The Role Played by the Early Successional Palm Attalea oleifera (Arecaceae) in the Atlantic Forest

In this study, we examined the impacts of Attalea oleifera on the structure of seedling bank and discuss potential mechanisms of palm influence. Seed rain, seedling bank, and palm leaf fall were assessed beneath the canopy and in the vicinity of 16 adult palms across the edges of a large fragment (3500 ha) of the Atlantic forest. Moreover, we examined A. oleifera impacts on seed germination and seedling mortality by experimentally submitting seeds and seedlings to prolonged palm-leaf covering. As expected, seedling bank beneath the adults exhibited reduced abundance and species richness at local and habitat scale. Small to large seeds (3.1–30 mm) were underrepresented in the seed rain below adults palms, while experimental leaf covering drastically reduced both seed germination and seedling survivorship. A. oleifera leaf fall occurred over the whole year (3.6±2.7 leaves/individual/yr), which resulted in deep leaf litter mounds (10.7±9.2 cm). Finally, adult palm density (21.6±11.9 individuals/ha) correlated negatively with seedling density across Attalea clusters. Our results suggest that A. oleifera exerts negative effects on the seedling bank by reducing seedling abundance and richness as a consequence of two complementary mechanisms: impoverished and size-biased seed rain plus reduced seed germination and increased seedling mortality due to prolonged covering by fallen leaves.     

A Contribution to the Life History of the Rare Indonesian Holoparasite Rafflesia patma (Rafflesiaceae)1

Fates and growth of Rafflesia patma buds and insect visitation to the flowers were monitored in an evergreen tropical rain forest in the Pangandaran Nature Reserve, Java, Indonesia, Of 59 buds marked in December 1985, 44 percent died before flowering, 7 percent flowered, and 49 percent were still in bud in May 1986. Mammals and birds caused the deaths of buds before they reached maturity. Only four buds flowered between December 1985 and May 1986; all were male. Rate of increase in diameter (cm/d) was much faster in large than in small buds. Once opening began, the flower opened fully in 24 to 48 hours; the flower remained open for three to five days before rotting. Only two genera of insects visited a male flower of R. patma: Lucilia and Sarcophaga (Diptera). Insect visitation was highest in the afternoon (1300–1700 h) and on the second or third day after flower opening. The increased number of flies visiting the flower coincided with the increasing odor emitted from it. Results of the present study were combined with information from the literature to construct a life cycle diagram of R. patma.     

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) Seed Dispersal in an Afromontane Forest: Microhabitat Influences on the Postdispersal Fate of Large Seeds1

We examined the postdispersal fate of large seeds (≥5 mm) dispersed by chimpanzees in an afromontane forest to evaluate aspects of the effectiveness of seed dispersal by chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes. We assessed the influence of six microhabitat characteristics on seed persistence and germination in seeds dispersed in chimpanzee feces and “wadges.” A total of 257 fecal samples and 56 wadges were located over a 4‐mo period by tracking a semi‐habituated chimpanzee community on day follows. Forty‐nine (19.1%) of the fecal samples contained large seeds from five different tree species. The majority of fecal samples with seeds contained seeds from the mature forest tree Olea capensis (Oleaceae) (83.7%). Forty‐two wadges (75%) contained seeds from the mature forest tree Syzygium guineense (Myrtaceae). Seeds were monitored at their deposition site for removal and germination up to 49 d following deposition. We collected data on the microhabitat surrounding each fecal and wadge sample. Multivariate analyses indicated that while fecal and wadge samples were not clustered into particular microhabitats, there was little overlap in the microhabitats in which wadges and fecal samples were deposited. Significantly more seeds persisted over 49 d in wadges (67.9%) than in feces (30.3%). Elevation was the only microhabitat variable determined to have a significant influence on seed persistence, whereas slope was determined to have a significant influence on germination.     

Seed Dispersal by Kerama Deer (Cervus nippon keramae) on Aka Island,the Ryukyu Archipelago,Japan1

Endozoochorous seed dispersal by kerama deer (Cervus nippon keramae) was investigated at four sites on Aka Island, the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Kerama deer feces contained seeds of 35 plant species. Most of the germinated seeds were small (1.3 ± 0.18 mm) and had a hard coat, comparable to the germinated seeds in several other studies of endozoochorous seed dispersal by herbivores. Both the numbers and species compositions of seeds differed among the four sites, reflecting differences in the food available to kerama deer among habitats. Although many graminoid seeds were found in the two open habitats (Sites A and B) and in the adjoining forest habitat (Site C), woody plant seeds dispersed endozoochorously by birds and mammals were dominant in the forest (Site D), away from the marsh. Although a majority of the graminoid species was growing in open habitats such as the marsh and open fields, few were growing in the forest. Therefore, the kerama deer spread many open‐habitat graminoid seeds to the open and forest habitats. If a high density of kerama deer persists for a long time and gaps in forests are created by browsing kerama deer or by other means, graminoid species may spread substantially on Aka Island. Therefore, it is possible that seed dispersal by forest deer contributes to the expansion of grasslands.