Resumo

MEDINA-VAN BERKUM, Pamela; PARRA-TABLA, Víctor P.  e  LEIRANA-ALCOCER, Jorge L.. Floral resources and hummingbirds during the dry season in the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, Mexico. Huitzil [online]. 2016, vol.17, n.2, pp.244-250. ISSN 1870-7459.

Hummingbirds are important pollinators in the Neotropics and are also indicators of vegetation disturbance. In order to preserve them it is necessary to know the floral resources they use. In this study, we recorded the hummingbird species and the flowers they visited during part of the dry season (January-March 2013), in the Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Yucatán, exploring if any plant is visited in a different frequency than expected by its flowers' number and if there is any correlation between flowers and birds' abundance. We travelled along paths and observed four hummingbird species: Doricha eliza, Amazilia rutila, Amazilia yucatanensis and Archilochus colubris; visiting flowers of six plant species: Dicliptera sexangularis, Malvaviscus arboreus, Agave angustifolia, Bravaisia berlanderiana, Ernodea littoralis and Cordia sebestena. Dicliptera sexangularis's flowers were visited by D. eliza in a higher proportion than expected by their abundance while M. arboreus and A. angustifolia were visited more frequently by A. rutila than expected. Doricha eliza and A. rutila abundance was correlated to the flower abundance of D. sexangularis and M. arboreus. These flower species might be important in supporting hummingbirds during a season in which flower availability is low in northern Yucatán.

Palavras-chave : Ornithophilic syndrome; Doricha eliza; Amazilia rutila; Dicliptera sexangularis; Malvaviscus aboreus; southeastern Mexico; coastal scrubland.