Pollination ecology of Symplocarpus foetidus (Araceae) in a seasonally flooded bog in Québec, Canada

Urban settlement in the western lower Papaloapan River basin in the Gulf lowlands was dispersed and likely employed intensive gardening near domiciles. Land surrounding homes also may have played a symbolic role in these agrarian societies. Water works—formal ponds associated with temple platforms and other prominent structures as well as with many residential mounds—support the idea of symbolic as well as practical functions in land use around buildings. Dispersed occupation occurs in low elevations suited to recessional planting, a technique that takes advantage of dry season ground moisture in low areas where rain and flood waters recede as the water table drops. We analyze elevational zones to show greater settlement density in the low-lying Blanco River delta than in higher elevations upriver. Analysis of distances between archaeological residences and wetlands and drainages shows that residences generally were close to seasonally flooded areas. We also highlight anthropogenic qualities in the alluvial landscape, offering a land use perspective distinct from other views of agricultural intensification. The settlement pattern is compatible with Mesoamerican forms of urbanism.

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Marked Differences in Butterfly Assemblage Composition between Forest Types in Central Amazonia, Brazil

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12070942 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (7) ◽

pp. 942

Author(s):

Isabela Freitas Oliveira ◽

Fabricio Beggiato Baccaro ◽

Fernanda P. Werneck ◽

Thamara Zacca ◽

Torbjørn Haugaasen

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Forest Type ◽

Spatial Arrangement ◽

High Water ◽

Butterfly Species ◽

Terra Firme ◽

Central Amazonia ◽

Forested Areas ◽

Contrasting Habitats ◽

Seasonally Flooded

Amazonia comprises a mosaic of contrasting habitats, with wide environmental heterogeneity at local and regional scales. In central Amazonia, upland forest (terra firme) is the predominant forest type and seasonally flooded forests inundated by white- and black-water rivers (várzea and igapó, respectively) represent around 20% of the forested areas. In this work, we took advantage of a natural spatial arrangement of the main vegetation types in central Amazonia to investigate butterfly assemblage structure in terra firme, várzea and igapó forests at the local scale. We sampled in the low- and high-water seasons, combining active and passive sampling with traps placed in both the understory and canopy. Terra firme supported the highest number of butterfly species, whereas várzea forest provided the highest number of butterfly captures. The high species richness in terra firme may reflect that this forest type is floristically richer than várzea and igapó. Várzea is a very productive environment and may thus support a higher number of butterfly individuals than terra firme and igapó. Most butterfly species (80.2%) were unique to a single forest type and 17 can be considered forest type indicator species in this landscape. Floodplain forest environments are therefore an important complement to terra firme in terms of butterfly species richness and conservation in Amazonia.

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Nitrogen cycling in a Venezuelan tropical seasonally flooded forest: soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467400008075 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 399-416 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Barrios E. ◽

Herrera R.

Keyword(s):

Soil Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Availability ◽

Inorganic Nitrogen ◽

Nitrogen Concentration ◽

Ammonium Nitrogen ◽

Wet Season ◽

Flooded Forest ◽

Nitrogen Concentrations ◽

Minimum Stress ◽

Seasonally Flooded

ABSTRACTSeasonally flooded forests represent a transition between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The Mapire river, a tributary of the Orinoco river, floods its surrounding forests during the wet season (May–December). The soils are very acid and the total nitrogen concentration (0.1%) is only half that found in nearby soils flooded by Orinoco waters. Ammonium-nitrogen predominates in the soil during the flooded period while nitrate-nitrogen concentrations are higher in the dry period. Wide fluctuations in the inorganic nitrogen fractions did not considerably affect the annual course of soil nitrogen.The predominance of mineralization versus nitrification (56 and 5 μgsoil month−1respectively) and possibly the synchronization of nitrogen availability with plant demand could be considered as nitrogen conserving mechanisms.In synchrony with the hydrologic cycle, the seasonally flooded forest studied shows a nitrogencycle where inputs and accumulation are maximized when the system is under minimum stress (dry season). During flooding, the system enters a period of dormancy making minimal use of nutrient and energy to avoid or tolerate anaerobiosis.

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Nitrogen dynamics in seasonally flooded soils in the Amazon floodplain

Wetlands Ecology and Management ◽

10.1023/b:wetl.0000005536.39074.72 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 317-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

Matthias Koschorreck ◽

Assad Darwich

Keyword(s):

Nitrogen Dynamics ◽

Flooded Soils ◽

Amazon Floodplain ◽

Seasonally Flooded

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Pollination ecology of Monstera obliqua (Araceae) in French Guiana

Journal of Tropical Ecology ◽

10.1017/s0266467407004427 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 23 (5) ◽

pp. 607-610 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Mathieu Chouteau ◽

Melanie McClure ◽

Marc Gibernau

Keyword(s):

French Guiana ◽

Pollination Ecology ◽

Lower Portion ◽

Floral Rewards ◽

Pollination Mechanisms ◽

Unisexual Flowers ◽

Male Flowers ◽

Female Flowers

Data on pollination ecology of Araceae are still scarce and most concern species belonging to the subfamily Aroideae (García-Robledo et al. 2004, Gibernau 2003, Ivancic et al. 2004, 2005; Maia & Schlindwein 2006). In this subfamily, inflorescences consist of unisexual flowers: female flowers are located in the lower portion and the male flowers are in the upper portion of the inflorescence (Mayo et al. 1997). In the documented neotropical Aroideae, pollinators are nocturnal beetles and pollination mechanisms take place within a floral chamber during a short flowering cycle (generally 24–48 h) with floral rewards (sterile flowers rich in proteins and/or lipids) for the beetle pollinators, the secretion of resin to secure pollen on the pollinator, and the production of heat and odours (Chouteau et al. 2007, García-Robledo et al. 2004, Gibernau & Barabé 2002, Gibernau et al. 1999, 2000, 2003; Maia & Schlindwein 2006, Young 1986).

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