Visitantes florais de Byrsonima Crassifolia e Curatella Americana em Bom Jardim de Goiás

Abstract

In plants dependent on biotic pollination, floral traits can include tactile, olfactory and visual cues and factors such as colour, shape, odour or combinations of these cues can be used to identify flowers as a source of rewards. The families Malpighiaceae and Dilleniaceae are sympatric in the Cerrado and present several species in this biome; the first is known for offering oil and pollen to its visitors and the second offering pollen. Therefore, one species from each family was chosen to study some aspects of floral biology. Byrsonima crassifolia presents oil-producing extrafloral nectaries, and its flowers are bright yellow; in Curatella americana the flowers are white and have large numbers of stamens. We sought to identify the floral visitors and quantify the visits in terms of time difference and plant species. Data collection was carried out in an area of anthropized cerrado in the city of Bom Jardim de Goias, on the Oliveiras farm, in July 2020. The Sisvar and Jamovi softwares were used to perform the statistical tests. Nine species of floral visitors were identified, six Hymenoptera, two Coleoptera and one Diptera, with 55% similarity between the plants. The richness and diversity index showed low values compared to the literature. The pattern of visits as a function of time was quite different between the two plants, with high activity in C. americana in the morning and visits more distributed throughout the day in B. crassifolia. There was no competitive exclusion among insects. The analysed meteorological factors may have some limiting effect for some insects. Probably the most frequent visitors are relevant pollinators.