Visitor assemblages at flowers in a tropical rainforest canopy

Abstract

Canopy crane-based studies have been carried out to quantify the sets of arthropods that visit the flowers of a suite of common species of trees, palms and vines within the Cape Tribulation study area.Those Orders that increase significantly in abundance between the budding and flowering stages of inflorescences are identified, and multivariate and univariate comparisons have been made first, among coflowering plant species and second, at different seasons for the same plant species. The analysis has been repeated for both the profile of higher arthropod taxa in the samples and for the relative abundances of families of Coleoptera: one of the Orders most frequently suggested as critical in the pollination biology of Australian rainforests. In all cases significant differences are identified among species confirming that the visitor profile is a plant species-specific phenomenon. Profiles within plant species at different times also differed. At the ordinal level significant differences in visitor profiles associated with coflowering plants, were observed, variously, in Thysanoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera. Within the Coleoptera significant differences occurred in relative abundances of Scarabaeidae, Phalacridae, Latridiidae and Curculionidae. Seasonal differences in visitation to Syzygium gustavioides, Normanbya normanbyi and Calamus radicalis, reflected differences in Diptera, Lepidoptera, Homoptera, Thysanoptera, Hymenoptera and Araneida. Within the Coleoptera, the Elateridae and Curculionidae varied significantly between occasions.The various forms of flower/arthropod interaction that may be represented in these results are discussed, as are the implications for pollination.

Flowering and fruiting phenology of Normanbya normanbyi (W. Hill) L. H. Bailey (Arecaceae), a palm endemic to the lowland tropical rainforest of north‐eastern Australia

“…2006). In terms of community phenology N. normanbyi fills an important flower resource (nectar as well as pollen) gap for some animals during the dry season (Kitching et al . 2007).…”

How many species of arthropods visit flowers?

“…They are certainly found nearly everywhere, from the soil to the tops of trees, and flowers often support very high densities of mites (Kitching et al 2007;Wardhaugh et al 2014). However, little is known of the biology of the vast majority of species, most of which have not yet been described (Walter 2004).…”

Trade in Palm Products in North-Western South America

“…Only a handful of papers have been published that deal with the role of palms in a community network context. Kitching et al (2007) studied visitor assemblages at flowers in a tropical rain forest canopy in north Queensland. Three basic research questions were addressed relating to the composition of the visiting arthropod fauna, (1) between flowering and non-flowering canopy plants, (2) between tree species and (3) between different times of the year.…”