Dieta de aves frugívoras em uma área urbana no Pantanal de Mato Grosso do Sul

Abstract

The urbanization process decreases vegetation strips along the urban gradient, modifying patterns of frugivory and bird-plant interaction. Considering that urban areas tend to expand, there is a need to verify the role of native and exotic plants in feeding birds in this environment. In this perspective, we identified which bird species consume such fruits, and analyzed the role and frequency of consumption of native and exotic plants in the interaction network. Finally, we selected the most appropriate plant species to conserve bird diversity in the urban environment of the Miranda municipality, located in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso do Sul. Sampling was conducted between November 2021 and May 2022, over five days each month, by means of plots and focal observations, totaling a total of 360 hours of observations. We recorded and identified 29 plant species, 28 bird species, and a total of 743 frugivory events, of which 396 were bird interactions with exotic plants and 347 were bird interactions with native plants. Most bird species recorded were generalists presenting a high potential for seed dispersal, including representatives of the families Cracidae (1 species), Thraupidae (3 species), and Ramphastidae (1 species). Psittacidae species (11 species) were also recorded, acting as dispersers and mainly as seed predators. The floristic composition is mixed, resulting from the presence of typical Cerrado and Pantanal species (48%) and exotic species (52%), where most species recorded are from the tree component (50%), followed by shrubs (30%), and palms (20%). The network of interactions showed a nested pattern, with asymmetric interactions of various species of birds and native and exotic plants interacting with each other, without the formation of modularity. In the network of interactions there was little statistical difference in fruit consumption of native and exotic species (ANOSIM, R = 0.136; p= 0.1166), with a small significant difference in the frequency of fruit use of these plants (Qui2 = 69.193; p = 0.0712), with the greatest consumption of exotic plants by birds, but an interaction, with the greatest number of birds visiting native plants. Thus, the interaction values are not significant, for native (Z= - 6.185; p > 0.01) and exotic plants (Z= - 5.868; p > 0.01), with a decreasing trend over time, where the difference in the use of native and exotic plants in frugivory events are relatively low. The study reveals that birds have no preference for native or exotic fruits, they consume from their availability, thus both plants are important in feeding these birds. Therefore, the most suitable zoochoric species for conserving bird diversity and restoration of degraded areas in urban areas are those that evidently appear in frugivory events, such as embaúbas (Cecropia pachystachya) mango (Mangifera indica), guava (Psidium guajava), acerola (Malpighia emarginata), fig trees (Ficus benjamina), almond (Terminalia catappa), bocaiuve (Acrocomia aculeata) and orange (Citrus sinensis). Thus, green areas scattered in the urban area are essential for the maintenance of avifauna, especially when their habitats are increasingly being degraded.