Avifauna dispersora de diásporos de Schefflera morototoni (Aubl.) (Araliaceae), em uma área de floresta atlântica altamente degradada

Abstract

Seed dispersal of Schefflera morototoni Aubl. (Araliaceae) by birds in an area of semideciduous Atlantic forest highly degraded. Fruits may be a food resource not only by frugivorous birds specialists, but also by many generalist species and even some that are primarity insectivorous. The objective was to identify which birds consume the fruits of Schefflera morototoni Aubl. and evaluate their efficiency as dispersers of seeds. The study was conducted from September 3 to October 1, 2010 on the campus of Universidade Federal da Grande Dourados, Dourados, MS. A total of 21,15 hours of focal observation, were recorded 15 species belonging eight families and 143 feeding visits. 637 diaspores were consumed , the species with generalist and e insectivorous habits were the main dispersers, mainly representatives of the families Turdidae and Tyrannidae. Pitangus sulphuratus, Tyrannus savana, Elaenia flavogaster, Turdus leucomelas e Turdus amaurochalinus, were the species considered most efficient in the dispersal of seeds of Schefflera morototoni, because they had high frequency of visits, higher number of seeds consumed and short time period in the plant. Key-words: Frugivory, seed dispersal, birds.