ABSTRACT
The presence of lizards in bromeliads has been widely documented. Nevertheless, the possibility of some type of preference or specificity among lizards for particular bromeliad species has not yet been investigated. Therefore, this study aims to document the presence of Abronia oaxacae in six species of tank bromeliads found in pine forests, pine-live oak forests, and live oak groves during both the rainy season and the dry season. Three adult individuals of Abronia oaxacae were collected; one in a Tillandsia violácea (pine-live oak forest), one in a T. calothyrsus (live oak grove), and one in a T. prodigiosa (live oak grove). All three specimens were collected in sampling efforts carried out during the dry season. The results of the present study suggest that A. oaxacae shows no preference for a single, specific bromeliad species, although it does have a certain preference for a few select species. The presence of A. oaxacae in bromeliads during the dry season could be related to the cooler, moister microhabitat that these plants represent.
A presença de lagartos em bromélias tem sido amplamente documentada, no entanto, a possibilidade de algum tipo de preferência ou especificidade entre os lagartos para determinadas espécies de bromélias ainda não foi investigada. Portanto, este estudo tem como objetivo documentar a presença de Abronia oaxacaeem seis espécies de bromélias tanque encontrado em pinhais, matas de pinheiro e carvalho vivo, e os bosques de carvalho vivo, durante a estação chuvosa ea estação seca. Três indivíduos adultos de Abronia oaxacaeforam coletados, um em Tillandsia violácea (floresta de pinheiro e carvalho ao vivo), um em T. calothyrsus(bosque de carvalhos vivos), e um em T. prodigiosa (bosque de carvalhos vivos). Todas as três amostras foram coletadas em amostragem esforços realizados durante a estação seca. Os resultados do estudo sugerem que A. oaxacaenão apresenta preferência por um único, específico espécies de bromélias, apesar de não apresentar certa preferência por algumas espécies selecionadas. A presença de A. oaxacae em bromélias durante a estação seca pode estar relacionada com o condições úmidas e frias oferecidas por estas plantas.
Subject(s)
Animals , Bromelia/classification , Ecosystem , Lizards/physiology , Lizards/classification , Mexico , Seasons , TreesABSTRACT
Vascular epiphytes are frequent in mesic habitats and mid-elevation regions. The present study investigated the diversity and species composition of epiphytic bromeliads in the Natural Reserve of Serra do Teimoso (RNST) located in a transitional area between ombrophilous and semideciduous forests. Adapted from the "Rapid and Representative Sampling of Vascular and Non-vascular epiphyte Diversity of Tropical Rain Forests" protocol, our survey method used eight phorophytes of Cariniana legalis (Martius) Kuntze found between 284 and 573 m a.s.l.. We registered 19 morphospecies and 526 bromeliad groups. Almost one third of the species were classified as widely distributed and 27.3% are endemic to southern Bahia. Shannon index was 2.2 nats.ind-1 and the estimated number of species in this area was 25 (SD = ± 3.5). Most C. legalis harbored a similar abundance and species composition of epiphytes, which was dominated by Hohenbergia and Aechmea species. This study registered the occurrence of three species that are new to the state of Bahia, and one genus was collected for the first time in the RNST. Results are in accordance with the known pattern of lower epiphytic diversity in drier locations. Since all new records are exclusive to the crowns of large trees, the sampling of these new records was only possible because climbing techniques were used. Compared to other methodologies for floristic surveys, the one employed here demanded lower sample effort and yielded similar results. Large trees play an important role for epiphytes due to the concentration of species and individuals on them. Thus, the utilization of canopy methodologies in other field surveys would be desirable to sample appropriately epiphytes in large trees.