How organisms reach and colonize bromeliads: a field experimental test of two of Picado’s hypotheses, and the effect of tree age and cardinal distribution on bromeliads in Cartago, Costa Rica
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22458/urj.v4i2.6Abstract
Existen numerosos estudios sobre la biodiversidad dentro de los tanques
de agua de las bromelias. Sin embargo, poco se sabe sobre cómo llegan
los organismos hasta los tanques de agua ubicados en las partes altas
del bosque. El efecto de la edad de los árboles y la distribución cardinal
de las bromelias en el dosel son aspectos mejor conocidos, pero casi no
hay datos para las especies centroamericanas, por lo tanto, estudiamos
la ecología de las bromelias en Pejibaye de Jiménez, Costa Rica. Para
no destruir bromelias naturales, fabricamos 150 bromelias artificiales
con vasos de plástico para poner a prueba las hipótesis de Picado
sobre la colonización de los tanques bromelícolas mediante lluvia y
residuos que caen de las ramas. Colocamos las bromelias artificiales en
el bosque en febrero 2012 y siete semanas después recolectamos los
macroinvertebrados que las habitaban. También medimos bromelias
y diámetros de los árboles en 100 individuos de Gliricidia sepium y
contamos las bromelias en los cuatro puntos cardinales del dosel en
60 árboles. En concordancia con las hipótesis de Picado, las bromelias
que no recibieron lluvia tuvieron 2,9 veces menos invertebrados que
el tratamiento control, y las bromelias que no recibieron residuos
registraron 3,4 veces menos invertebrados que el control. Los árboles más
grandes tienen más bromelias y éstas son más grandes, posiblemente
debido a que son árboles más viejos, con mayor complejidad estructural.
El número medio de bromelias fue menor en el lado oeste de las copas,
justo la parte que recibe menos luz solar. Estos resultados no sólo
evalúan las hipótesis de Picado en el centenario de su publicación, sino
que también son potencialmente útiles para la conservación de las
bromelias y de los complejos microecosistemas que hospedan.
ABSTRACT
Numerous studies have been conducted on the biodiversity of organisms
that inhabit bromeliad water tanks. However, little is known about how
organisms reach these tanks (also called “phytotelmata”). Two other
aspects of bromeliad ecology, the effect of tree age and the cardinal
distribution of bromeliads in canopies are slightly better known, but
still little research has been done on these subjects for Central American
bromeliads. To improve understanding of these subjects, we studied
bromeliad ecology in Pejibaye de Jiménez, Cartago, Costa Rica. To avoid
destroying natural phytotelmata, we built 150 artificial bromeliads
with plastic cups to test Picado’s hypotheses that phytotelmata are
colonized via rain and debris. We set them in the field in February 2012
and collected macroinvertebrates from them after seven weeks. We also
measured bromeliad leaf length and trunk diameters in 100 Gliricidia
sepium trees and counted bromeliads in the four cardinal directions
of 60 trees. In agreement with Picado’s hypotheses, the bromeliads
that did not receive rainwater had 2,9 times less invertebrates than
the control, and the bromeliads that did not receive debris had 3,4
times less invertebrates than the control. Larger trees had more and
larger bromeliads growing on them, possibly because they were older
and had more structural complexity. Mean number of bromeliads was
lower in the west side of canopies, the side that receives less sunlight.
These findings not only address Picado’s hypotheses in the centenary
of their publication, but also are potentially useful for conservation of
bromeliads and the complex microecosystems that they house.
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