A Heliconia Insect Community in a Venezuelan Cloud Forest

Abstract

An experimental study was designed to evaluate the importance of first—order species interactions, higher—order species interactions and habitat (flower bract) age on the survivorship of 4 species of insects living in the water—filled floral bracts of Heliconia bihai L. in a Venezuelan cloud forest. Only 3 out of 16 first—order species interactions were statistically significant and they included both competitive and symbiotic effects. A higher—order effect was found for only 1 of 4 species while habitat age was found to influence 3 of 4 species. The experimental results indicate that for 3 species survival is greater in the older habitats. These results correspond to data from field studies on nonexperimental inflorescences in which insects were found most frequently in mature floral bracts. The results of this study are similar to those of an earlier study (Seifert and Seifert 1976a) on 2 species of Heliconia from lowland Costa Rica. We propose that Heliconia insect communities in general show low levels of 1st—order species interactions, some of which are symbiotic, and that higher—order species interactions are not a general component of these communities.