Anthropogenic disturbance of tropical forests threatens pollination services to açaí palm in the Amazon river delta
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2018
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The açaí palm Euterpe oleracea Mart. in the Amazon river delta has seen rapid ex pansion to meet increased demand for its fruit. This has been achieved by trans forming lowland forest habitats (floodplains) into simplified agroforests and
intensive plantation in upland areas. As açaí palm makes an important contribution
to the economy and food security of local communities, identifying management
approaches that support biodiversity and ecosystem processes that underpin fruit
production on açaí farms is essential.
2. We compared flower-visitor communities and açaí fruit production in floodplain
forests and upland plantations, across gradients of local management intensity (i.e.
açaí density per ha) and surrounding forest cover. The relative contribution of biotic
pollination and degree of pollen limitation were assessed using insect exclusion and
hand-pollination experiments.
3. We found that açaí flower visitors are highly diverse (c. 200 distinct taxa) and had
variable responses to disturbance. Bee visitation was higher in floodplains and posi tively related to surrounding forest cover, but other flower visitors, including spe cialised curculionid beetles, were unresponsive to changes in surrounding forest
cover. However, intensive management practices (i.e. high açaí palm densities) in
floodplains and uplands had contrasting effects on flower-visitor communities,
with flower-visitor richness being lower on intensively managed floodplain farms
and ant densities being higher on intensive upland farms.
4. Pollination experiments revealed açaí palm to be highly dependent on biotic polli nation. Fruit set in open-pollinated inflorescences was positively related to flower visitor richness and specialised curculionid beetle visitation, whereas the presence
of ants on inflorescences had a negative effect.
5. Synthesis and applications. Our study shows that pollinators are essential for açaí
fruit production, but that intensive farming practices have eroded the relationship
between surrounding forest cover and ecosystem function in floodplains (i.e. conversion of native forest into simplified agroforests) and increased the fre quency of antagonistic interactions in uplands (e.g. high ant densities). These find ings underline the value of extensive management practices, such as the maintenance
of other tree species within farms and adjacent unmanaged forest patches, to en sure the long-term sustainability of açaí fruit production in the Amazon river delta.
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Açaí, Pollinators, Amazon rainforest, Flower-visitor community, Amazon river, Euterpe oleracea, Biodiversity, Ecosystem services, Ecological intensification, Palm
Citação
CAMPBELL, Alistair John et al. Anthropogenic disturbance of tropical forests threatens pollination services to açaí palm in the Amazon river delta. Journal of Applied Ecology, Hoboken, v. 55, n. 6, p. 1725–1736, 2018. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13086. Disponível em: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1365-2664.13086. Acesso em: 12 jul. 2023.