Sphingophilous species in the atlantic rain forest at Picinguaba: composition, phenology, and pollination biology

• Grant number: 05/01354-4
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2005
• End date: October 31, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Ecosystems Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Marlies Sazima
• Grantee: Marlies Sazima
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The reproductive characteristics of plant communities are important for the understanding of its dynamics. In this sense, diverse functional groups related to different pollination syndromes can be distinguishable. The sphingophilous species guild, i.e, plants pollinated by hawkmoths, will be studied in an area of the Atlantic Rain Forest in Southeastern Brazil. Three main aspects are proposed: 1) the number of sphingophilous species and its importance in the community, 2) the reproductive phenology and its flowering synchrony to evaluate the temporal distribution of the floral resources for pollinators and 3) the pollination biology of these species. Furthermore, correlations between parameters of floral morphology and hawkmoths proboscises will be tested for degree of specialization or generalization in this plant-pollinator interaction. Another point to be considered is the reproductive success of the strictly sphingophilous plants in relation to the size of the net of interactions. Such data could be evaluated from pollen deposition on proboscises of hawkmoths occurring in the same period of the flowering species, and that share these pollinators. Due to the scarce knowledge of sphingophilous species in the Atlantic Rain Forest, this study is essential for the understanding of this plant community. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

AVILA JR, RUBEM S.; ROCHA, DIEGO ISMAEL; NUNES, CARLOS E. P.; GALETTO, LEONARDO; DORNELAS, MARCELO CARNIER; SAZIMA, MARLIES. Divergent strategies of nectar secretion in two bat-pollinated Passiflora species. FLORA, v. 293, p. 8-pg., 2022-07-21. (03/12595-7, 05/01354-4)