Abstract
The water reservoirs formed in the floral bracts of heliconias are home to a great diversity of specialist invertebrate fauna. From March 4 to 10, 2010, invertebrates interacting in the bracts of Heliconia rostrata and Heliconia spathocircinata were collected by hand at the Jatun Sacha Biological Station, Tena Province. Six hundred and thirty-three invertebrates, represented by eight orders, nineteen families and thirty morphospecies were recorded on the bracts of heliconias. The most abundant orders were Diptera and Coleoptera with two hundred and one hundred and four individuals, respectively. The highest abundance of invertebrates was found in the bracts of H. spathocircinata with three hundred and fifty-three specimens, while in H. rostrata it was two hundred and eighty individuals. Additionally, there were individuals of the classes: Annelida and Crustacea. It is concluded that the inflorescences of heliconias constitute true microecosystems where the organisms found find food, shelter and resources to develop from larvae to adults and invertebrate relationships.
Translated title of the contribution | Associated Invertebrates Bracts of Heliconia Rostrata and Heliconia Spathocircinata (HELICONIACEAE) at Jatun Sacha Biological Station, Napo Province: A Preliminary Analysis |
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Original language | Spanish (Ecuador) |
Pages (from-to) | 20-25 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | La Granja |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 20 |
State | Published - 30 Dec 2014 |
Keywords
- Fitotelmata
- Helinonia
- Invertebrates
- Jatun sacha
CACES Knowledge Areas
- 115A Biology