Abstract
Espinheira-santa (Monteverdia ilicifolia) is a native plant of Brazil widely used in folk medicine because it has several therapeutic properties. Regarding the pollination biology and seed dispersal of this species, there is no information available in the literature. In this study, pollinators and dispersers of M. ilicifolia were observed and identified, as well as the behavior of these biological agents during the period of flowering and fruiting. In addition, the frequency of pollinator visits and the efficiency of the seed disperser were recorded. It was verified that in espinheira-santa, pollination is carried out by diptera and by hymenoptera. Among the main groups of pollinators are the flies, being Lucilia eximia, Limnophora sp. and Eristalis sp. the most frequent, and the wasps, in which Brachygastra mellifica, Polistes canadensis, Mischocyttarus sp. and one species of the Tiphiidae family were the most frequent. Eight species of birds consumed diaspores (arils with seeds), acting as dispersers of this species. However, the following birds were more efficient in the dispersion of seeds: Tangara sayaca, Elaenia sp. and Pipraeidea bonariensis. In this sense, M. ilicifolia is a species that has entomophilous pollination and ornithochoric dispersion.
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