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Synchronous fruiting and common seed dispersers of two endemic columnar cacti in the Caatinga, a dry forest in Brazil

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Abstract

This study evaluates the fruiting phenology, fruit traits, and seed dispersal in two Pilosocereus (Cactaceae) species that are widely distributed in Caatinga vegetation. We monitored the fruiting phenology of Pilosocereus gounellei and Pilosocereus chrysostele on a monthly basis for a period of 4 years (45 months from March 2009 to November 2012), including 30 individuals of each species. We also carried out focal observations, captured dispersers, and conducted germination tests, to identify the effective seed dispersers of these species. Both species exhibited sub-annual fruiting patterns and high fruiting synchrony index (O jk 0.62), with peaks occurring from February to May for P. gounellei and February to April for P. chrysostele. In all, 248 visits by seven bird and two lizard species were recorded for P. gounellei, and 104 visits by five bird species were recorded for P. chrysostele. The two species shared five seed dispersers. The finch Lanio pileatus was the most frequently visiting bird species. The number of visits to the fruits of P. gounellei was higher than to the fruits of P. chrysostele. Passage of seeds through the digestive tracts of all bird species significantly increased the germination rate for P. chrysostele, whereas for P. gounellei, the birds Forpus xanthopterygius and L. pileatus decreased germination rates. Sub-annual fruiting patterns, similar fruit morphology, and high synchronous fruiting are factors that favor resource sharing among the dispersers of Pilosocereus in the Caatinga.

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Acknowledgements

To the management of Almas Farm and Dr. Joel Queiroz, who provided fieldwork logistics. Dra Vênia Souza helped with seed germination experiments in the Laboratório de Sementes da Universidade Federal da Paraíba (UFPB). Suggestions from two anonymous reviewers greatly improved a previous version of this manuscript. The Brazilian Research Council (CNPq) granted an undergraduate scholarship to VGNG through the project ‘PELD/Caatinga: Estrutura e Funcionamento,’ and a research grant to ICM; later, Capes granted VGNG a Master’s scholarship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, Av. Costa e Silva, s/n, Cidade Universitária, Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, 79070-900, Brazil

    Vanessa Gabrielle Nóbrega Gomes

  2. Departamento de Biociências, Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Av. Vereador Olímpio Grande, s/n, Bairro Porto, Itabaiana, Sergipe, 49510-200, Brazil

    Marcos Vinicius Meiado

  3. Departamento de Engenharia e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Rua da Mangueira, s/n, Centro, Rio Tinto, PB, 58297-000, Brazil

    Zelma Glebya Maciel Quirino

  4. Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal da Paraíba – UFPB, Campus II, Rod. PB-079, s/n, Cidade Universitária, Areia, PB, 58397-000, Brazil

    Helder Farias Pereira de Araujo

  5. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Departamento de Botânica, Av. Prof. Moraes Rego s/n, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE, 50670-420, Brazil

    Vanessa Gabrielle Nóbrega Gomes & Isabel Cristina Machado

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  1. Vanessa Gabrielle Nóbrega Gomes
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  2. Marcos Vinicius Meiado
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  3. Zelma Glebya Maciel Quirino
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Correspondence to Vanessa Gabrielle Nóbrega Gomes.

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Communicated by Timothy Bell.

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Gomes, V.G.N., Meiado, M.V., Quirino, Z.G.M. et al. Synchronous fruiting and common seed dispersers of two endemic columnar cacti in the Caatinga, a dry forest in Brazil. Plant Ecol 218, 1325–1338 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-017-0771-5

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