Vol 4 Num 2




Frugivoria e dispersão de sementes por vertebrados na mata ciliar e no rio Formoso em Bonito, Mato Grosso do Sul

Paula Reys

Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências
Av. 24-A, 1515 – Rio Claro/SP
email: preys@rc.unesp.br

advisor
Mauro Galetti

Universidade Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Botânica, Instituto de Biociências
Av. 24-A, 1515 – Rio Claro/SP
email: mgaletti@rc.unesp.br

keywords
phenology, Pantanal, ichtyochory

publication date: 03-11-2004
Abstract
The frugivory and the seed dispersal by fish, birds and mammals in the riparian forests around the Formoso river was studied along 15 months (from April 2000 until June 2001) in the city of Bonito, state of Mato Grosso do Sul. The main seeds dispersers of this forest are the brown capuchin monkeys ( Cebus  paella  ), Toco Toucan ( Ramphastos  toco  ) and the fish piraputanga ( Brycon  microlepis  ). It doesn’t occur seasonally in the fruits production, it is continuous along the year, varying only on the individual’s intensity at the ripe fruits. With all that, the fruits diponibility for fish, birds and mammals occurs all along the year. In June and August of 2000 occurred a high production of Guibourtia  hymenifolia  fruits that took the frugivory community to consume much more fruits of this specie. There was not found any key specie of plant for the community, but some species were more important for a specie or frugivory group, as the palm Attalea  phalerata  to the agouti ( Dasyprocta  azarae  ) The greatest production of fruits by the bacuri might be related to the great disponibility of water in some parts of the riparian forest. The piraputanga acts as much as a predator or as a disperser of seeds, depending only of the fruit diameter. This fish take the seeds to Upper River, mainly at the piracema period, being one of the main factors that influence the vegetal species distribution along the gallery forest. Besides that, piraputangas feeding is intimaly related to the leftovers of the monkeys and the birds on the top of the trees of the Formoso river. So, the seed dispersal done by the mammals in the riparian forest of the river is impressidible to the regeneration and conservation of the biodiversity of this ecosystem. This riparian forest is a relict of well conserved forests in the mid west Brazil region and it is inside the Cerrado, bioma that has been dealing with pressions caused by the development since 1970, when the region became a perfect site for the soy been production as a Brazilian exportation product. Besides that, these areas are among the less inventoried biomas of Brazil. So this study contributes to a better understandment of the ecological relation functions along the Formoso River cilar forests, in Bonito, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, subsiand through the data, future conservation and manage plans to other ciliar forests also include in the Brazilian cerrado.

Cited species
check for this species in other resources Attalea  phalerata 
check for this species in other resources Brycon  microlepis 
check for this species in other resources Cebus  paella 
check for this species in other resources Dasyprocta  azarae 
check for this species in other resources Guibourtia  hymenifolia 
check for this species in other resources Ramphastos  toco 



Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Fapesp
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq
Centro de Referência em Informação Ambiental, CRIA
© BIOTA NEOTROPICA, 2004