Redes de interações de visitantes florais em indivíduos de Byrsonima intermedia A. juss. (Malpighiaceae)

Abstract

Interactions between plants and floral visitors have a great influence on the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The study of these interactions can be done through the analysis of ecological networks, allowing an understanding of the complexity of ecosystem functioning. The objective of present study was to verify whether the characteristics of individuals of Byrsonima intermedia A. Juss. (Malpighiaceae) affects its role in the network of interactions with floral visitors, in three palm swamps with different conservation status (dryness level) located in the North of Minas Gerais, Brazil. For sampling, we selected 45 individuals of the Byrsonima intermedia plant, 15 in each area, where they were monitored to observe the behavior of floral visitor insects and measure the characteristics of the plant individuals. After the observation, the insects were collected in order to identify the species; the quantification of the number of flowers in each individual and the collection of flowers from each individual (to measure the size of floral structures). As a result, the networks of all sampled area were significantly modular (Preserved palm swamp: Q = 0.39, P <0.005; Intermediate palm swamp: Q = 0.34, P <0.005; Degraded palm swamp Q = 0.34, P <0.005) and specialized (Preserved palm swamp: H2 = 0.38, P <0.005; Intermediate palm swamp: H2 = 0.26, P <0.005; Degraded palm swamp: H2 = 0.25 P <0.005), with the preserved palm swamp showing greater specialization. The results show that the abundance of resources offered by each individual in the network, the size of the flower and the plant height are some factors that can determine its role in the network of interactions in the studied paths. Finally, it is concluded that individual plant interactions can be affected both by environmental characteristics and by morphological attributes of plants.