Padrões de complementariedade de floração intra-habitat em ambientes de Vereda

Abstract

The maintenance of pollination services throughout the year depends on the temporal and spatial complementarity of plant flowering, which is essential for the conservation of pollinators. This study investigates the phenological and spatial diversity of flowering in veredas, the main wetlands of the Cerrado, which play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity and hydrological cycles. The research was conducted in the vereda of the Clube de Caça e Pesca Itororó de Uberlândia (CCPIU) Reserve, using 16 transects covering different microhabitats (edge, intermediate and bottom). Data were collected biweekly for 12 months, recording the presence and abundance of flowering species. The results showed 209 species belonging to 48 families, with high representation from the Poaceae, Cyperaceae, Asteraceae, Melastomataceae, and Fabaceae families. Flowering varied significantly among microhabitats and across seasons, with flowering peaks at the beginning of the rainy and dry seasons. The edge presented the highest richness and abundance of flowering species at the beginning of the rainy season, while the intermediate had its peak at the beginning of the dry season, and the bottom remained constant throughout the year. These phenological oscillations can be influenced by variations in soil moisture and the topography of microhabitats, demonstrating high intra-habitat complementarity that ensures the availability of floral resources for pollinators throughout the year. The study highlights the importance of Veredas for biodiversity conservation and the need to protect these ecosystems against environmental impacts, such as drying caused by drainage, woody encroachment, and changes in the rainfall regime, which can compromise the flowering dynamics and, consequently, the ecosystem services they provide.