Floral visitors of Chamaecrista debilis (Vogel) Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) at cerrado of Estação Ecológica de Jataí, São Paulo State, Brazil

Visitantes florais de Chamaecrista debilis (Vogel) Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) no cerrado da Estação Ecológica de Jataí, SP

SCIENTIFIC NOTE

Floral visitors of Chamaecrista debilis (Vogel) Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) at cerrado of Estação Ecológica de Jataí, São Paulo State, Brazil

Visitantes florais de Chamaecrista debilis (Vogel) Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae - Caesalpinioideae) no cerrado da Estação Ecológica de Jataí, SP

Elynton A. do Nascimento^I; Kleber Del-Claro^II

^IFaculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, USP, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Monte Alegre 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP, [e-mail]

^IIUniv. Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biologia, L.E.C.I. C. postal 593, 38400-902, Uberlândia, MG [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

Although Chamaecrista Moench genus is a very important source of pollen to bees in the Cerrado, this relationship is almost unknown. Within flower visitors of Ch. debilis, we found hymenopterans (Apidae) as the most abundants, but Coleoptera (Buprestidae) and Lepidoptera (Noctuidae) were also collected. Bees of great size are pointed out as effective pollinators of Cassiinae. Only five out of seventeen species of floral visitors of Ch. debilis sampled in cerrado, are indicated as possible pollinators, from which four species were not previously indicated in other papers.

Key words: Pollination, bee, Cassiinae, Apidae

RESUMO

Embora plantas do gênero Chamaecrista Moench representem importante fonte de pólen para abelhas do cerrado, essas relações são ainda pouco conhecidas. Entre os visitantes florais de Ch. debilis, os himenópteros (Apidae) são os mais abundantes, mas também são encontrados coleópteros (Buprestidae) e lepidópteros (Noctuidae). Abelhas de grande porte parecem ser os polinizadores efetivos dos Cassiinae no cerrado. Assim, das dezessete espécies visitantes florais de Ch. debilis, são indicadas apenas cinco espécies como potencialmente polinizadoras, dais quais quatro não foram registradas em outros estudos.

Palavras-chave: Polinização, abelha, Cassiinae, Apidae

The Chamaecrista Moench genus is widely distributed in the cerrado vegetation, were there are more than 130 species (Mendonça et al. 1998), of ca. 232 species from Brazil (Irwin & Barneby 1982). These plants are a very important source of pollen to bees from cerrado, despite the poor knowledge of their reproductive biology (e.g. Carvalho & Oliveira 2003). Westerkamp (2004) observed that in Cassiinae (Cassia, Senna and Chamaecrista), the stamens show great diversity of forms and functions, and the anthers show a special type of secondary pollen presentation: the ricochet. This phenomenon was observed first by Todd (1882, apud Westerkamp 2004) in Ch. fasciculata. Bees of relative great size, like Xylocopa are involved in this kind of pollination; Westerkamp (2004) describes that the pollen destined to pollination in Cassia fistula L. remains for a long period in the back of bee's body, without removal by self-grooming.

Many species of Chamaecrista have extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), which are nectar secreting glands not involved directly in pollination (Fiala & Maschwitz 1991). Recent studies have already showed the evolutionary and functional aspects of EFNs related to protection against herbivory, i.e., the extrafloral nectar is a food source mainly to ants that reduce the damage level caused by herbivores to plants (e.g. Fuente & Marquis 1999, Heil & McKey 2003). However, these EFNs can attract ants and many other insects that can also occasionally visit the flowers of EFN-bearing plants (Del-Claro 2004). Chamaecrista debilis (Vogel) Irwin & Barneby is a common species from cerrados of northeast region of São Paulo state, specially at Gleba Pé-de-Gigante, Parque Estadual de Vassununga, (Batalha & Mantovani 2000) and Estação Ecológica de Jataí (Toppa 2004), adjacent Conservation Units. This Caesalpinioideae has EFNs and associated ants that reduce herbivory at significant levels (Nascimento 2006). Due to Chamaecrista abundance in the field and the poor knowledge of their floral visitors in Brazil, the present study had the main objective to identify the floral visitors of Ch. debilis in a cerrado area, establishing a comparison with what has been described to the family and genus.

The floral visitors were collected in the cerrado at Estação Ecológica de Jataí, that is a Conservation Unit with 9.010.70 ha, (Santos et al. 2005) at Luiz Antônio city (21º 36' 54" S e 47º 48' 02" W), São Paulo state. In the same area all other data were took, and experiments and direct observations of Ch. debilis were performed.

The studied plants were mostly at the margins of internal roads of the study site where the physiognomy "cerradão" prevail, being considered by Toppa (2004) a range of cerrado sensu stricto, i.e., Ch. debilis seems to have preference for opened areas. These plants are shrub-arboreal and can reach ca. 2.5 m tall. The flowers are yellow, with pentamere calyx and corolla, typical characteristic of the family, according to Tucker (1996) that, additionally, also comments on the singular morphology of flower of Chamaecrista species.

About 40 plants were examined ca. ten minutes each one, at 15-day periods, and the floral visitors were collected with insect net. This was done in two periods: from 11-VIII to 23-XI-2004 and from 03-VIII to 26-IX-2005. The observations were done when the pollen was already available, pulverulent, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Pinheiro et al. (1988) report that anthesis of Ch. ramosa occurs at about 5 a.m., with peak of floral visitation from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m.. To Ch. neesiana, the anthesis occurs at dawn, and the pollen is available at 8:30 a.m. (A.C.B. Sodré personal communication). To other Cassiinae, as Cassia spectabilis, Senna sylvestris and S. corymbosa, the anthesis occurs between 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., and the pollen become available along of morning, generally some hours after anthesis (Manente-Balestieri & Machado 1999, Carvalho & Oliveira 2003, Laporta 2005).

According to Batalha & Mantovani (2000), the flowering of Ch. debilis occurs from November to July and fruiting from January to December. Although, in the study area, Ch. debilis started flowering in August (in 2004) and September (in 2005), years with similar meteorological conditions (Nascimento 2006). Short climatic variations can inflict significant impact on final results of ecological interactions, even indirectly, when it affects the phenology of individuals (Marquis & Braker 1994, Del-Claro & Oliveira 2000).

A total of 17 insect species were recorded visiting Ch. debilis flowers, they were essentially hymenopterans, mainly Apidae, but also Halictidae, Colletidae and Vespidae (Table 1). Some species of Apidae and Halictidae can vibrate during flower visitation, i.e., since Ch. debilis has poricidal anthers, the vibration was necessary to pollen eject (Buchmann & Hurley 1978). The majority of poricidal anther flowers – as in great majority of Cassiinae (Laporta 2005) – do not produce nectar as reward to pollinators (Buchmann & Hurley 1978), also observed to Ch. debilis. Tiny bees, like Halictidae, Colletidae and some Apidae generally are not effective pollinators, because they do not reach the reproductive structures (e.g. Michener 1979), so they are considered as parasites or pollen thieves.

Two buprestid beetle species, Agrilus sp. (Fig. 1A) and Tetragonoschema sp., were observed feeding on petals of Ch. debilis flowers. Another species, Agrilus cf. octopunctatus Gory, was observed in the flowers (Fig. 1B). All these beetles copulate on flowers, having the potential to be accidental pollinator species, since they touched stigmas and stamens. A.C.B. Sodré (personal communication) also observed a beetle like Agrilus cf. octopunctatus in Ch. neesiana flowers. Thomisidae spiders seem to be common floral visitors to Chamaecrista. Polybia paulista Ihering (Vespidae) was observed being predated by Misumenops sp. (Thomisidae), which presents similar coloration to flower. Other individuals of Thomisidae (aff. Misumenops) were seen on Chamaecrista flowers waiting for prey (A.C.B. Sodré personal communication). Another important observation was the presence of two caterpillar morphospecies of Noctuidae (Lepidoptera) feeding on buds and flowers. Our personal observations suggested that if they infest the plant in great number, the reproduction of Ch. debilis can be negatively affected.

Silberbauer-Gottsberger & Gottsberger (1988) reported that 79.4% of zoophilous species that have exclusive pollinators show bees as pollinator agents, and in 45.4% of the plants that have bees as pollinator agents can be exclusive, main or additional. Analyzing floral visiting bees in the cerrado, Pedro (1992) at Cajuru city, SP; Carvalho & Bego (1996) at Uberlândia, MG; Mateus (1998) at Estação Ecológica de Jataí, Luiz Antônio, SP; Rêgo (1998) at Chapadinha, MA; and Araújo et al. (2006) at Ouro Branco, MG, reported that the Apidae (including Anthophoridae) show the major number of bee species that visit flowers in the cerrado, followed by Megachilidae and Halictidae. These data corroborate what was observed, in minor scale, to Ch. debilis. The bee species that visit Chamaecrista in cerrado vegetation, observed by many authors, are listed in Table 2. In Uberlândia, MG, A.C.B. Sodré (personal communication) observed Bombus sp., Centris sp., Trigona sp. and one species of Augochlorini flowers of Ch. neesiana.

Carvalho & Bego (1997) found from one to three bee species visiting flowers of Caesalpinioideae in Uberlândia, MG. Many genera found in Ch. debilis also were registred by Carvalho (1990) visiting Cassia sp. flowers, like Paratrigona (P. lineata) and Trigona (Apidae); and by Balestieri & Machado (1998) visiting Caesalpinia peltophoroides flowers, like Bombus, Xylocopa and Trigona (Apidae) and Polybia (Vespidae). Andena et al. (2005) found Centris, Xylocopa and Trigona species, among other genera, visiting other Caesalpiniaceae.

Centris species found visiting Ch. debilis, also are important floral visitors of other Chamaecrista species, according to Aguiar et al. (2003), in different biomes, like in caatinga (Ch. belemii, Ch. nictitans, and Ch. pascuorum), in campos rupestres (Ch. cipoana and Ch. papillata) and in restingas(Ch. racemosa). According to Pinheiro et al. (1988), Xylocopa brasilianorum L. is the effective pollinator of Ch. ramosa var. ramosa, a common species in restingas.

Comparisons between herbivore fauna and floral visitors of the same vegetal taxon can be important tools to a better understanding of the importance and how wide-ranging can be the trophic relationships established from a single primary producer (Thompson 2005). The study of these relationships is an important instrument to identify the set of ecological systems that can afford the determination of certain area, as priority or not, to conservationist matters (see Oliveira & Del-Claro 2005 and citations therein). In this sense, we suggest that other species of Chamaecrista should be studied and compared about the floral visitors, as regarding to its omnipresence in the cerrado vegetation; this genera can be an important bioindicator on determination of preservation areas.

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the researchers that identified the insects: Sidnei Mateus (Hymenoptera), Carlos Campaner (Coleoptera) and Cleber M. Polegatto (Lepidoptera). We thank Sidnei Mateus and Marcela Yamamoto for valuable comments on the manuscript. We also thank CAPES and CNPq for financial support and PPG Entomologia – FFCLRP/USP for providing conditions to perform this work.

Received 30/X/06. Accepted 05/V/07.

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  02 Oct 2007
• Date of issue
  Aug 2007

History

• Received
  30 Oct 2006
• Accepted
  05 May 2007