Interações entre anuros, bromélias e a comunidade bromelícola associada em três unidades de conservação no Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Bromeliaceae is a plant family with neotropical distribution often used in ecological studies due to its characteristics of storing free water, maintains a self-biota, has a reduced size and have easy replicability. These features give the status to bromeliad of natural microcosm and, within the bromelicolous environment, the species also interact among themselves. Treefrogs are commonly found in bromeliads and some species is closely related to these plants spending all their life cycle associated with bromeliads. In this thesis different organisms inhabiting bromeliads were studied (e.g. ostracods, protozoa, helminths and arthropods in general) with emphasis on treefrogs of the genus Scinax (Hylidae). A controlled greenhouse experiment to test different aspects of the relationship between treefrogs and bromeliads was performed using as a model S. perpusillus and Neoregelia sp. We also performed field work in three protected areas in the state of Rio de Janeiro: Natural Monument of Morro da Urca and Sugar-Loaf, State Park of Serra da Tiririca, and National Park of Serra dos Órgãos where, respectively, occur the treefrogs S. perpusillus, S. littoreus, and S. v- signatus. The thesis is divided into six chapters that address different interspecific interactions such as predation, parasitism, phoresy, and mutualism.