Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Observations of Pallas ’ s long-tongued bat , Glossophaga soricina ( Pallas , 1766 ) ( Chiroptera , Glossophaginae ) , visiting Dracaena reflexa Lam ( Aspargaceae ) flowers in an urban area of Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil )
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Silva, Shirley Seixas Pereira Da Guedes, Patrícia Gonçalves Tatiana Fagundes, Maria Costa Silva, Ademar Ferreira Da |
| Copyright Year | 2017 |
| Abstract | The genus Dracaena includes 40 species of tree and bush native to Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Southern Asia, and Central America. Dracaena reflexa Lam is an arboreal species native to Madagascar and adjacent islands, which reaches four to six metters in height, and is used widely for urban landscaping and interior decoration. This attractive tropical monocotyledon grows at a moderate rate, and can be planted alone or in groups. Flowering begins towards the end of the austral winter, and continues until the end of the spring. The flowers are small and white, and are grouped in terminal inflorescences. The only known visitors/pollinators in Brazil are bees and wasps. Data were collected during the nocturnal monitoring of visitors to the flowers of D. reflexa plants on the Cascadura campus of the Souza Marques Technical Education Foundation in the city of Rio de Janeiro under moonlight and local illumination. For the identification of the bat species visiting the flowers, specimens were captured in mist nets set adjacent to the flowering plants. This resulted in the capture of eight specimens of Glossophaga soricina (Pallas, 1766). These Glossophaginae approached flowers through short flights, during which the ventral portion of their bodies came into contact with the reproductive organs of the flower. The bats were observed hovering in front of the flowers, into which they introduced the tongue to collect the nectar and the pollen and moved away, surrounding the plant and approaching other flowers of the inflorescence. This behavior facilitates the exchange of pollinic material between the flowers, even if an effective pollination does not occur. In the present study, the use of D. reflexa flowers in bat feeding is described for the first time in the Neotropical region. In this way, this is arelevant record for the better understanding of the animal-plant interactions that occur in urban areas. |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://www.naturezaonline.com.br/natureza/conteudo/pdf/NOL20161203%20-%20enviado%20ao%20autor..pdf |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
