Plant-pollinator interaction in a peatland ecosystem in Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

The Espinhaço Mountain Range is an important complex of mountains and plateaus within the Brazilian Cerrado. Within this area we can found peatlands ecosystem, which are important carbon reservoirs and home of a variety of plants and their floral visitors. We investigated if there are differences in the planta-visitor community between protected peatlands(Rio Preto State Park) and unprotected peatlands (Araçuai river). To conduct the research, six field trips of three days each (between October 2021 and November 2022) were conducted to sample plants and their Floral visitors. For comparison, the areas were divided into wet (peatlands) and dry grasslands. We sampled 284 individuals of floral visitors from 107 species visiting 45 plant species. In the protected area we found 62 floral visitors species visiting 33 plant species and in the non-protected area 58 floral visitor’s species in 26 plant species. We also found higher Floral visitors richness in the wet areas (peatlands) (82 species) compared with dry areas (grasslands) (36 species). Furthermore, wet areas show higher abundance and richness of Floral visitors. Plant communities show some similarities, although they have different blooming periods.

Keywords

• plant-animal interactions
• grasslands
• pollinators