Análise comparativa dos macro invertebrados associados ao fitotelmo de bromeliaceae em áreas de mata atlântica e restinga no Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil.

Abstract

Structures of terrestrial plants such as leaves, leaf axyls, flowers, fruits and treeholes, often collect rainwater forming semi-permanent reservoirs which are collectively called phytotelmata. In Bromeliaceae such phytotelmata represent a nursery for local fauna, besides being relevant as drinking a foraging area for small mammals and birds. The present study aims to inventory the macrofauna associated with the phytotelm of terrestrial bromeliads in restinga and Mata Atlantica habitats in eastern Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, and investigate their diversity and abundance patterns. The bromeliad phytotelm were sampled in four locations to be compared as to richness patterns: open restinga (Pitangui), dune top and high canopy Mata Atlantica sites in the Parque Estadual das Dunas do Natal (PEDN), and in the inland Mata Atlantica fragment in Escola Agricola de Jundiai (EAJ). The phytotelm fauna was sampled in the field with the aid of an adapted siphoning device and sorted in the laboratory under the stereomicroscope. The specimens were identified to family level following the “Taxonomic Sufficiency” (TS) approach to faunistic inventorying, and later preserved in 70% ethanol. A total of 17 taxa was recorded, most of the specimens collected represented immature individuals which corroborate the hypothesis that bromelia phytotelm represent a breeding ground for local fauna. The specimen abundance fitted the geometric model in all sampling areas. Taxonomic diversity and richness were low both in the open restinga habitats and in the coastal Mata Atlantica (both in dune top and high-canopy sites), whereas the inland Mata Atlantica fragment at EAJ showed a high diversity. Cluster analysis with the Morisita similarity index showed a closer affinity between the open restinga and coastal Mata Atlantica sites. The author considers the inland Mata Atlantica at Escola Agricola de Jundiai with a highest priority conservation status, based on the high taxonomic richness and diversity observed in the phytotelm-associated fauna in this location.