Ritmo circadiano do florescimento de Melocactus zehntneri: quem seriam os potenciais visitantes e polinizadores
Resources in Caatinga vary with the seasonality of the region and are less abundant during the dry season. In this period, few plants are flowering, among them a few Cactaceae, so there are few resources for nectarivorous. For this reason, opportunists can visit them and steal nectar. This work w...
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| Formato: | Dissertação |
| Idioma: | por |
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| Endereço do item: | https://repositorio.ufrn.br/jspui/handle/123456789/26323 |
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| Resumo: | Resources in Caatinga vary with the seasonality of the region and are less abundant during the
dry season. In this period, few plants are flowering, among them a few Cactaceae, so there are
few resources for nectarivorous. For this reason, opportunists can visit them and steal nectar.
This work will describe the circadian cycle, the nectar production and pattern of secretion,
consumption and visitation in Melocactus zehntneri, seeking possible explanations about the
interactions between this cactus and bats (Glossophaga soricina, Lionycteris spurelli,
Lonchophylla sp. and Xeronycteris vieirai) in the Caatinga of Lajes do Cabugi / RN. Recently,
a parallel study has reported that these bats are visiting this cactus because large amount of
pollen of the species was found in their hairs or feces. But their flowers do not indicate signs
of chiropterophily, therefore data were collected in the field and an experiment was carried
out to investigate the existence of floral rewards and responses in the circadian cycle and in
the pattern of nectar secretion, related to this interaction. The volume and concentration of
sugar in the nectar decreased after 5:30 pm, but it continues with quality to compensate
nocturnal pollinators that begin to forage at that time, such as small bats that live in Caatinga.
Hummingbirds are the most efficient pollinators of M. zehntneri, and probably they’re sharing
the nectar with other floral visitors, including bats of the region. There is a change in the
pattern of nectar secretion before and after at 17:30 pm, which may be associated to
interactions with floral visitors of this species. This fact may increase the genetic variability in
the population of the cactus, since it would also benefit from other floral visitors besides the
hummingbirds which show a very territorialist behavior. In addition, bats may be using the
nectar of this plant as an alternative source of energy in the dry season of the Caatinga,
because the resources are scarcer. |
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