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First record of flower visitation by a rodent in Neotropical Proteaceae, Oreocallis grandiflora

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2017

Santiago Cárdenas ,
Carlos Nivelo-Villavicencio ,
Juan D. Cárdenas ,
Omar Landázuri P.  and
Boris A. Tinoco
Santiago Cárdenas*
Affiliation:
Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión, Universidad del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7–77 y Hernán Malo, Cuenca, Ecuador
Carlos Nivelo-Villavicencio
Affiliation:
Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión, Universidad del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7–77 y Hernán Malo, Cuenca, Ecuador
Juan D. Cárdenas
Affiliation:
Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión, Universidad del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7–77 y Hernán Malo, Cuenca, Ecuador
Omar Landázuri P.
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação de Vertebrados, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Rod. Juscelino Kubitschek Km 02, Macapá 68903-419, Brazil
Boris A. Tinoco
Affiliation:
Escuela de Biología, Ecología y Gestión, Universidad del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7–77 y Hernán Malo, Cuenca, Ecuador
*
*Corresponding author: Santiago Cárdenas; santiagcarcal@gmail.com
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Abstract:

There is still much to learn about pollination ecology in areas of high species diversity, such as the Neotropical region. For example, the role of non-flying mammals in pollination is largely unknown in the Neotropical areas, despite the importance of this group in the pollination of plants in other regions. Here we report evidence for flower visitation by a rodent to Oreocallis grandiflora (Proteaceae) in our study site in the southern Andes of Ecuador. For a period of 241 h, camcorders equipped with infrared lights revealed 22 occurrences of floral visitation by Microryzomys altissimus (Cricetidae) to inflorescences of O. grandiflora. Pollen samples taken from the fur of captured individuals showed that M. altissimus carries pollen of O. grandiflora, indicating a potential pollinator role for the rodent. This is the first record of flower visitation by a rodent in the Neotropical Andes. Pollination interactions between non-flying mammals and Proteaceae have been reported in other southern hemisphere continents. This study underscores the need for more research on pollination interactions in the Neotropics, especially in critical Andean biodiversity hotspots.

Keywords

Andesfloral visitationMicroryzomys altissimusNeotropicsnon-flying mammalOreocallis grandifloraProteaceaerodent
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 33 , Issue 2 , March 2017 , pp. 174 - 177
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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