Scientiic Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads in a Conservation Unit of the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest, and its Relevance for Environmental Risk Studies. Roberto Lima Santos, Maria das Gracas Almeida, Elineí Araújo de Almeida, Reberth Richelle Bezerra Barca.1 Abstract An inventory of the invertebrate fauna found in the leaf crown and phytotelm of tank bromeliads (Aechmea lingulata and Hohenbergia ramageana) was carried out in the Parque Estadual Dunas do Natal (Natal Dune State Park or NDSP), Natal, Rio Grande do Norte State, northeastern Brazil . A total of 874 invertebrate specimens were obtained, belonging in 33 taxa within the Mollusca, Annelida, Arachnida, Myriapoda, and Insecta, and most of the taxonomic determinations reported were taken to rank of family. Insects and chelicerates were the most taxonomic diverse and abundant taxa (mature and immature forms considered). Immature forms were recorded for 15 taxa, indicating a signiicant role of tank bromeliads as a breeding site. Larvae of scirtid beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera) were the most abundant group recorded in the present inventory. Detritivore, predator, and herbivore feeding guilds were recorded. The detritivore guild was the most representative both in number of taxa and abundance, indicating a detritus-processing food chain community. The relevance of inventorying and monitoring bromeliad–inhabiting biota as a tool for environmental risk assessment is discussed. Keywords Aechmea, Hohenbergia, Scirtidae, feeding guilds, public health, environmental education Introduction In some species of Bromeliaceae the tight imbrication of the leaf blades impound rainwater, thus forming a water reservoir or phytotelm (Fish, 1983; Benzing 2000; Kitching 2000). Decaying organic matter that collects inside the phytotelm releases nutrients which are tapped by the bromeliad through specialized foliar trichomes; this process is enhanced by detritivorous animals whose feeding activity further degrade the organic debris (Benzing 2000). Phytotelm bromeliads can be considered a keystone resource for many other organisms since they provide, among other things, shelter Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads against predation, a water source and breeding grounds for a diversiied assemblage of organisms, some limited to this habitat (Laessle 1961; Fish 1983; Hagler et al. 1993; Richardson 1999; Carrias et al. 2001; Dias & Brescovit, 2004; Santos et al. 2003a,b, 2004, 2006, Coelho et al. 2009). The “Parque Estadual Dunas do Natal” (“Natal Dune State Park” or NDSP), a biological conservation unit recognized as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 1993, is located within the city of Natal, capital of Rio do Grande do Norte State, and is important for preserving air and water quality as well as thermal comfort for its population (Carvalho, 2001). The NDSP is located in a xeric climatic zone subjected to marked rain seasonality and has sandy permeable soil which does not allow for the formation of temporary ponds (Coelho et al. 2009). Large populations of terrestrial tank bromeliads provide a major source of free water Figure 1. Micrograph of scirtid larva with that compensates for the intermittent detritus-laden digestive tract (100X). water supply (Zotz & Thomas, 1999). Photo by Ruy Anderson Lima. Besides the biologically diverse Brazilian Atlantic Coastal Rainforest, the NDSP also features a mosaic of loristic, and associated faunistic elements, characteristic of other endangered biomes such as the caatinga and the coastal tabuleiro woodland (Freire 1990; Rizzini 1997; Varela-Freire, 1997). Little has been published regarding taxonomical inventories of invertebrate fauna associated with bromeliads in northeastern Brazil. Considering this lack of knowledge, the legal and ethical imperatives for conserving biodiversity and the signiicance of phytotelm bromeliads for conservation, this study aimed at gaining information regarding the taxonomic and feeding-guild diversity of the invertebrates found in terrestrial tank bromeliads located in NDSP. 1 All authors - Laboratório de Filogenia e Taxonomia, Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Campus Universitário 59072-970 Natal RN, Brazil. 260 JBS 59(6). 2009 JBS 59(6). 2009 261 Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads JOURNAL OF THE BROMELIAD SOCIETY INDEX Volume 59, 2009 Covers are listed as if numbered. Page numbers in bold face refer to photos or illustrations, new species are shown under the appropriate genus in both italics and bold face. Figure 2. Unidentiied katydid (Tettigoniidae) in typical head down posture on bromeliad leaf blade. Photo by Roberto Lima Santos. Materials and Methods The NDSP is located on the eastern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State, (05°48’S-05°53’S and 35°09’W-35°12’W), and encompasses an area of 1,172.80 hectares, with a mean width of two kilometers by 15 km in the north-south axis. Its most characteristic feature is a series of Pleistocene quartz sand dunes, some up to 120m high, arranged in a SSE-NW direction and covered with lush vegetation (Varela-Freire, 1997). The park is located in the humid tropical zone, with mean low and high temperatures of 22,0°C and 29,2 °C respectively. The mean yearly rainfall ranges from 1,200 to 2,000 mm. Highest rainfall occurs mostly from July thru August (Freire, 1990). The samples were collected in March and April, 1997. Mean monthly temperatures (27.2 & 26.6 °C), mean rainfall (159.6 & 256.2mm) , and mean relative humidity (82% & 85%) were recorded for March and April respectively (data from the Meteorological Station of the Universidad Federal do Rio Grande do Norte -UFRN Natal, Brazil located about 3 km from the collecting site) . The sampling unit was considered to be a single bromeliad ramet. Eleven specimens of Hohenbergia ramageana and 14 ramets of 262 JBS 59(6). 2009 A Beautiful New Species of Lindmania, Bromeliaceae, B K Holst & Y V Arroyo, 66 A New Aechmea from Eastern Ecuador, H.E. Luther & K.F. Norton, 149 A New Aechmea Species from the Mountains of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. E.M.C. Leme, 197 A New Nidularium Species from the Atlantic Forest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Issues Against Nominal Extinction. E.M.C. Leme, 245 A New Species of Racinaea (Bromeliaceae) from the province of Azuay in southern Ecuador. J.M. Manzanares & W. Till, 109 A New Vriesea Species from Northern Peru, H.E. Luther & K.F. Norton, 204 Aechmea aguadocensis, 56, 58 bauxilumii, 171 beeriana, 115 caesia, 240,235 cariocae, 58,200 castelnavii, 172 chantinii, 151 chantinii forma amazonica, 149 clorophylla, 152 aff. coelestis, 152 ‘Exotica Candy’ 219 ‘Exotica Candystripes’ 219 gentryi, 150 guarapariensis, 200 leptantha, 230 lilacinantha, 197 lingulata, 260 muricata, 58 nudicaulis, 153,203 ornata, 193,200,202 aff. ramosa, 152,154 roberto-anselmoi, 152,200,203 roeseliae, 175 squarrosa, 200,201 triticina, 200 Aechmea bauxilumii (Bromeliaceae), a New Species from Los Pijiguaos, Venezuelan Guyana, A. Fernandez, 170 Aechmeas ‘Exotic Candy’ & ‘Exotica Candystripes’ G. Lawn, 219 Aizellwood, Greg, 44 JBS 59(6). 2009 Alcantarea extensa, 14 mucilaginosa, 12,13-15 nevareisii, 22,23 patriae, 157 roberto-kautskyi, 24,26 turgida, 15 vasconcelosiana, 19,21 Alcantarea, list of recognized species, 27 Alcantarea “skirts”.... better on or off ?, Dianne Timmins, 30 Annales de Gand, 283 Austin Bromeliad Society, 90 Back to Grass Roots, M. Kellett, 220 Baker, Bill, 52 Benzing, David 223 Bethmann, Nick, 42 Billbergia horrida, 153 vittata, 135 Book Review “The Green-Blooming, Small, Grey Tillandsias from Mexico” 182 “Tillandsia II” 278 Brehm, Joyce “Did You Know?” 40 Bert, T.M. “Call for Nominations for Wally Berg Award of Excellence,” 180 Bromelia antiacantha, 136 serra, 36,183 Bromeliad Clone Preservation Project, BSSF, 85 Bromeliad Cultivar Registry Online, A. Flower 273 Bromeliad Icons in Old Publications, part 4. Leo Dijkgraaf, 132 Bromeliad Icons in Old Publications, part 5. Leo Dijkgraaf, 279 Bromeliad Society Central Florida Show 2009, 39 Bromeliad Society of New South Wales Autumn Show, May 2009. 188 BSI, Call for Nominations for Oficers, L. Giroux, 122 Call for Nominations 2011-2113 Directors, 124 Call for Nominations, Wally Berg Award, 180 Bromeliads at Kew Gardens, UK. Chris Lee, 230 Bromelias: Oil on Canvas, Marcia Valle, 183 Butcher, D. “Neoregelia ‘Perdita’ “, 32 Carvalho, Luiz Felipe Nevares de, 140 Capulate Stigma in the Genus Werauhia, Luther, H.E., 54 263 Catopsis nutans, 134 Chirnside, Vicky: new BSI Director, 236 Christiano, David “My Tillandsias are Freezing”, 35 Cold tolerance in cultivation, 38 Controlling Greenhouse Heating, A. Flower, 178 Creating X Racindsia ‘La Mano Magica,’ H. Takizawa, 117 Cryptanthus beuckeri, 280 ferrarius, 104 schwackeanus, 107 Cryptanthus ferrarius, a new Species from the Iron-rich Soils of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the Way to Extinction. E.M.C. Leme & C.C. de Paula, 104 Cultivar Registry, 273 Deleon, Nat 126 Deuterochnia lorentziana, 232 Deuterocohnia in habitat, NW Argentina, 37 Dijkgraaf, Leo “Bromeliad Icons in Old Publications, part 4”, 132 “Bromeliad Icons in Old Publications, part 5”, 279 Extinction, nominal. 245 Digital photographs, notes on sizes, 39 Dyckia bilorum, 174 estevesii, 78 helosiae, 174 horridula, 71,74 mirandiana, 75-79 rarilora, 107 velazcana, 1 Edmundoa lindenii v. rosea, 154,184 Encholirium ‘Angelita,’ 174 horridum, 144 Fire-resistent Dyckia mirandiana, 79 Flower, A. “Bromeliad Cultivar Registry Online” 273 “Controlling Greenhouse Heating,” 178 “Tillandsia lotteae in Cultivation,” 87 Gainsville Bromeliad Society, 90 Gentry, Dr. Alwyn, 151 Giroux, L “Call for Nominations for BSI Oficers,” 123 Goode, M. “Two New BSI Afiliates in 2008,” 90 Gouda, E.J. “Book Review: Tillandsia II” 278 “Some notes on Pitcairnea longissimilora,” 16 Guzmania condorensis, 259 conifera, 39 leonard-kentiana, 102 madisonii, 259 264 nangaritzae, 256 pennellii, 103 osyana, 282 Guzmania leonard-kentiana, Another New Species from Eastern Peru, H.E. Luther & K.F. Norton, 102 Guzmania nangaritzae, a New Species from South-eastern Ecuador. H.E. Luther & K.F. Norton, 256 Heating, greenhouse, 178 Hohenbergia brachycephala, 64 itamarajuensis, 63 mutabilis, 60 ramageana, 260,267 stellata, 115 Holst, B K & Y V Arroyo “A Beautiful New Species of Lindmania, Bromeliaceae,” 66 Invertebrates associated with bromeliads, 269 Iron in bromeliad cultivation, 100 Kellett, M. “Back to Grass Roots” 220 Kent, Leonard, 4,103 Lamprococcus vallerandii, 114 Larsen, Chris “Notes on Cold Tolerance in Cultivation”, 38 Lawn, Geoff, 6, 92 Lawn, G “Aechmeas ‘Exotic Candy’ and ‘Exotica Candystripes’ 219 “New Bi-generic Genus: X Racindsia, 116 Lee, Chris “Bromeliads at Kew Gardens, UK” 230 Leitao, Reginaldo de Vasconcelos, 22 Leme, E.M.C. “A New Aechmea Species from the Mountains of Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil “ 197 “A New Nidularium Species from the Atlantic Forest of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Issues Against Nominal Extinction”, 245 “Notes on Alcantarea: a New Mediumsized Species and Additions to A. robertokautskyi,” 19 “Alcantarea mucilaginosa a new species from Espirito Santo, Brazil,” 12 Leme, E.M.C & C.C. de Paula, Cryptanthus ferrarius, a new Species from the Iron-rich Soils of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on the Way to Extinction, 104 Leme, E.M.C., & L.J.C. Kollmann “Two New Giant Bromelioides from the Atlantic Forest of Espirito Santo, Brazil”, 55 Leme, E.M.C., & L.J.C. Kollmann et. al., “Two New Species from Pedra dos Pontoes, an Unexplored Mountain in Espirito Santo, JBS 59(6). 2009 Brazil,” 152 Leme, E.M.C. & Z.J.G. Miranda “Studies on Dyckia from Central Brazil - Part II. Two Sweetly Fragrant Species from Goias, 71 Lindmania atrorosea, 70 vinotincta, 66,67 Lund, Gary, new BSI Director, 93 Luther, H.E. “Capulate Stigma in the Genus Werauhia,” 54 “Misnamed Bromeliads #22 Vriesea psittacina var. decolor,” 84 Luther, H.E. & K.F. Norton, “A New Aechmea from Eastern Ecuador,” 149 “A New Vriesea Species from Northern Peru,” 204 “Guzmania leonard-kentiana, Another New Species from eastern Peru”, 102 Manzanares, J.M. & W. Till, A New Species of Racinaea (Bromeliaceae) from the province of Azuay in southern Ecuador, 109 Meet the New Cultivar Registrar, Geoff Lawn, 92 Mena, Holly, new BSI Director, 93 Miranda, Antonio, 78 Misnamed Bromeliads #22 Vriesea psittacina var. decolor, H. E. Luther, 84 Molecular Studies about Two rare Species of the Genus Tillandsia L. (T. califanii Rauh and T. tomasellii De Luca et al) O. De Castro et al, 206 Morren, Charles 280 My Tillandsias are Freezing, David Christiano, 35 Natal Dune State Park, 261 Neoregelia albilora (Hort.) 33 ampullacea, 32 bragarum, 166 carolinae, 203 chlorosticta, 203 cruenta, 185 dayvidiana, 162,163,165 ‘HDT 4606’ inexsspectata, 166 leucophoea, 203 ‘Perdita’ 33 petropolitana, 203 punctatissima, 32 species MSBG 2000-0089A, 33 tigrina, 33 Neoregelia ‘Perdita’, Butcher,D and Lawn G, 32 New Bigeneric Genus: X Racindsia, Geoff Lawn, 116 Martin, H & D “Bromeliad Society of New JBS 59(6). 2009 South Wales Autumn Show, May 2009” 188 New Members, 45 Nidularium albilorum, 253 ‘Amabilis’ 187 amazonicum, 252 atalaiense, 185 innocentii var. lineatum. 49,81 krisgreeniae, 249 minutum, 251 rolianum, 247,249 rubens, 253 Nidularium “subcomplex amazonicum” key, 253 Notes on Alcantarea: a New Medium-sized Species and Additions to A. roberto-kautskyi, Elton M.C. Leme, 19 Orthophytum burle-marxii, 186 pictum, 184 Pedra dos Pontoes, 152,168 Plant Pots and Collateral Issues, Herb Plever, 80 Pitcairnia abyssicola, 157,158 aequatorialis, 162 albilos, 162 altensteinii, 133 crassa, 16 aff. decidua, 157 lammea v. pallida, 162 glaziovii, 157,167 insularis, 162 longissimilora, 16-18 maidifolia, 284 suaveolens, 162 tabuliformis, 80 wendtiae, 162 Plever, Herb “Plant Pots and Collateral Issues”, 80 Prince, Mouna “Nat Deleon,” 126 Propagation, 117 Provost, Steven, 141 Quesnelia lateralis, 203 Quilling, Jerry Raack, 28 Raack, Jerry, “Quilling”, 28 Racinaea crispa, 117 pectinata, 112 quadripinnata, 112 strobeliorum, 110 Reilly, Bob, “Book Review: The GreenBlooming, Small, Grey Tillandsias”, 182 Ribeiro, Otavio B , Claudio Coelho et. al., “A new Vriesea species from Serra do Cipo National Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil”, 7 265 Richtmyer, Carole, 6,43 reichenbachii, 36 Romanowski, Michael, 96 streptophylla, 241,279 Sertum Botanicum, 279 stricta, 153 Singapore Botanic Garden, 4 tectorum, 34,225 Strehl, Teresia, 4 tenuifolia, 223 Streptocalyx poeppigii, 115 tomasellii, 206,209 Studies on Dyckia from Central Brazil - Part usneoides, 153 II. Two Sweetly Fragrant Species from viridilora, 27 Goias, E.M.C. Leme & Z.J.G. Miranda, 71 wagneriana, 29 Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Broxiphioides, 221 meliads in a Conservation Unit of the Brazilusneoides, 224 ian Atlantic Rainforest, and its Relevance for zecherii, 48 Environmental Risk Studies. R.L. Santos & Tillandsia II, review, 278 M.G. Almeida et al., 260 Two New Species from Pedra dos Pontoes, an Unexplored Mountain in Espirito Santo, Takizawa, H “Creating X Racindsia ‘La Mano Brazil, E.M.C. Leme, L.J.C. Kollmann et. al., 152 Magica,’ 117 Two New BSI Afiliates in 2008, M. Goode, 90 Timmins, Diane, “Alcantarea “skirts”... beter on Valle, Marcia “Bromelias: Oil on Canvas” 183 Vellozia sp. 108 or off ?”, 30 Vriesea altomayoensis, 204 Till, W. “Under Aechmea, A. vallerandii is the amethystina, 231 correct name for Streptocalyx poeppigii. 115 carinata v. lavominiata, 155 Tillandsia achyrostachys, 206 cipoensis, 8-9 andrieuxii, 214 dubia, 204 atroviridipetala v. longepedunculata, 145 ensiformis, 153 bryoides, 35,37 fosteriana, 156 califanii, 206,208 heterostachys, 203 capitata, 226 longicaulis, 203 caput-medusae, 213,222 longistaminea, 107 carlos-hankii, 214 lubbersii, 153 compressa, 226 minor, 10 didisticha, 36 pardalina, 153 disticha, 214 philippo-coburgii, 203 duratii, 36 pseudoatra, 157, 192 dyeriana, 117,120,233 psittacina, 84 fasciculata, 213 psittacina “var. decolor,” 84 gardneri, 157 rubra, 204 guatemalensis, 225 scalaris, 281 ionantha, 213 What Happened to these Puyas? 234 ixioides, 225 Werauhia gladiolilora, 54 juncea, 213 X Racindsia, 116 klausii, 206 X Racindsia ‘La Mano Magica’ 97,117 lepidosepala, 214 lotteae, 87 matudae, 223 organensis, 203 paniculata, 214 paucifolia, 206 peiranoi, 36 punctulata, 214 rauhii, 232 266 JBS 59(6). 2009 Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads Figure 3. Stand of Hohenbergia ramageana shaded by tree canopy in the Natal Dune State Park. Photo by Roberto Lima Santos. Aechmea lingulata were collected. All ramets sampled had multilayered outspreading leaf crown architecture with phytotelmata, which help catch falling leaves and other organic debris ( Benzing 2000). The methods for obtaining the bromeliad associated fauna were adapted from Oliveira et al. (1994). Individual host bromeliads were collected and placed inside a large plastic bag and transported to the laboratory, where 250 ml of 70% ethanol solution was added to each bag which were left to rest for approximately 30 minutes in JBS 59(6). 2009 267 Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads order to kill the animals within the leaf crown. The rhizome and the dry leaves were discarded. The green leaf blades were removed and individually rinsed in tap water, and the wash-water was passed through a sieve (mesh diameter 0,5mm). Only the specimens collected in the sieve were preserved in 70% ethanol and considered in the present study. The invertebrate voucher specimens were deposited in the Laboratório de Filogenia e Taxonomia (Departamento de Botânica, Ecologia e Zoologia / UFRN). Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads Taxa Number of individuals Number of bromeliads with taxa Hb Hb 3 1 3 1 A A Dt 48 20 A+I Pr Pr Pr Pr Pr Pr Pr Pr 13 1 14 6 2 1 1 4 8 1 13 5 2 1 1 4 A A A+I A A A A A Pr Dt 8 25 7 15 A A+I Dt Dt Dt Dt Pr Dt Dt Dt Dt Dt Dt Dt Dt Hb Hb Pr Dt Hb Hb Hb 15 33 1 10 26 481 54 32 1 2 7 10 1 1 1 3 11 46 5 7 874 11 7 1 5 15 24 16 12 1 1 5 8 1 1 1 1 4 13 5 7 A+I A+I A A I I I I A I I I A A A A* A* I A A+I Mollusca Gastropoda, Bulimulidae Gastropoda, Subulinidae Annellida Oligochaeta The bromeliad specimens were identiied according to the descriptions and geographic distribution provided by Smith & Downs (1979). The animal specimens were identiied according to Costa et al. (1988), Borror et al. (1989); Oliveira & Almeida (1999), Kitching (2000), Lourenço (2002), Adis (2002) and Dias & Brescovit (2004). In order to estimate feeding guild assemblages, each specimen was assigned the general feeding guild categories of detritivore, herbivore or predator, based on the feeding habits reported for each taxon. Taxa for which no categories could be unambiguously assigned were categorized as unknown. We follow Begon et al. (1996 p.960) deinition of guild as “a group of species that exploit the same class of environmental resource in a similar way”. Life cycle stage Feeding Guild Chelicerata Aranae, Lycosidae Aranae, Argiopidae, Argiope argentat Aranae, Theraphosidae, Pachistopelma rufonigrum Aranae, Salticidae Aranae, Theraphosidae sp 2 Pseudoscorpiones Scorpiones, Bothriuridae, Bothriurus asper Scorpiones, Buthidae Tityus neglectus Myriapoda Chilopoda, Scolopendridae Diplopoda , Spirobolida Hexapoda, Insecta Results and discussion A total of 874 invertebrate specimens belonging in 33 taxa were obtained from the pooled 25 bromeliads sampled (Table I). Insects were the most diversiied and abundant group found in this survey with 20 taxa and 747 specimens collected. As to feeding guild analysis, predators comprised 11 taxa, with low abundance (only 79 individuals). Similarly, the herbivore guild was represented by 64 individuals in seven taxa. The detritivore guild was the largest both in taxon diversity (15 taxa) and abundance (731 individuals). Also, the dominance of scirtid larvae further indicates that the bromeliad food chain in the NDSP is based on detritus-processing. Daugherty & Juliano (2002) found evidence that scirtid larvae are an important link in detritus-processing food-chains. The prevalence of scirtid larvae was also observed in the faunal assemblage associated with Vriesea inlata in the Atlantic Coastal Rainforest of Parana State in southern Brazil (Mestre et al. 2001) and in Guzmania and Vriesea spp. in Puerto Rico (Richardson 1999). Laessle (1961) recorded a high abundance of scirtid larvae in Jamaican bromeliads and considered this taxon as one of the basal elements in the bromeliad phytotelm food chain. Blattariae, Blattidae sp. 1 Blattariae, Blattidae sp.2 Blattariae, Blattidae sp.3 Collembola Coleoptera, Elateridae Coleoptera, Scirtidae Diptera, Chironomidae Diptera, Culicidae , Culex sp Diptera, Drosophilidae Diptera, Muscidae Diptera, Tipulidae Diptera, Ceratopogonidae Embioptera Homoptera, Aphidae Homoptera, Cicadellidae Hymenoptera, Formicidae (*) Isoptera, Termitidae (*) Lepidoptera Orthoptera, Gryllidae Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae In the present survey immature stages were recorded in 15 taxa belonging to Annelida, Arachnida, Myriapoda and Insecta, corroborating the hypothesis that bromeliads function as nursery and breeding sites for members of different phylogenetic lineages and thus represent a signiicant key resource for maintaining biodiversity (Kitching 2000, Rocha et al. 2004 ). The results reported here agree with those of Mestre et al. (2001) and Richardson (1999) who also found a high frequency of immature forms in bromeliads. Table 1. Inventory of invertebrates collected in 25 tank bromeliads in NDSP with respective feeding guild and ontogenetic stage assigments (Hb=herbivore, Pr=predator, Dt=detritivore; A=adult, I=immature, * non-reproductive worker caste). 268 JBS 59(6). 2009 JBS 59(6). 2009 TOTAL 269 Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads The taxonomic composition of the invertebrates found in the bromeliads in the NDSP differs from published surveys of bromeliad fauna (Oliveira et al. 1994; Mestre et al. 2001; Junca & Borges 2002) mainly regarding the small diversity of mosquito larvae and the absence of tadpoles and damselly nymphs. Such variations in bromeliadinhabiting fauna may relect the taxonomic diversity found in the surrounding ecosystem (Oliveira et al. 1994, Rocha et al. 2004). In fact, Richardson (1999) states that the analysis of the bromeliad microcosm is a useful method for assessing an important segment of forest biodiversity. Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads Bibliography The authors wish to thank Ruy Anderson Lima for the microphotograph of the scirtid larva and Prof. José Valmar Nunes, Prof. Adalberto Antonio Varela-Freire and Prof. Maria Solange Dutra da Cruz for their support. The authors gratefully acknowledge the anonymous reviewer for the valuable comments and suggestions. Adis, J., Ed. (2002). Amazonian Arachnida and Myriapoda. Soia, Pensoft Publishers. Begon, M., J. L. Harper, et al. (1996). Ecology. Individuals, Populations and Communities. 3rd Ed. Oxford, Blackwell Science. Benzing, D. H. (2000). Bromeliaceae: Proile of an Adaptive Radiation. Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press. Borror, D. J., C. A. Triplehorn, et al. (1989). An introduction to the study of insects. 6th ed. . Philadelphia, Saunders. Brighigna, L., M. Ravanelli, et al. (1997). “The use of an epiphyte (Tillandsia caput-medusae Morren) as bioindicator of air pollution in Costa Rica.” SCI TOTAL ENVIRON 198(2): 175-180. Carrias, J., M. E. Cussac, et al. (2001). “A preliminary study of freshwater protozoa in tank bromeliads.” J TROP ECOL 17: 611-617. Carvalho, M. M. O. (2001). Clima urbano e vegetação: estudo analítico e prospectivo do Parque das Dunas em Natal, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Departamento de Arquitetura. Coelho, M. S., E. Araújo-de-Almeida, et al. (2009). Fauna inquilina de bromélias: proposta de instrumental didático integrando a Zoologia e a Educação Ambiental. Ensino de Zoologia: Ensaios Interdisciplinares. 2nd ed. E. Araújo-de-Almeida, João Pessoa: EDUFPB: 165-189. Console, R. A. G. and R. L. Oliveira (1998). Principais mosquitos de importância sanitária no Brasil. Rio de Janeiro, Fio Cruz. Costa, C. L., S. A. Vanin, et al. (1988). Larvas de coleópteros do Brasil. São Paulo, Museu de Zoologia/USP-FAPESP. Daugherty, M. P. and S. A. Juliano (2002). “Testing for context-dependency in a processing chain interaction among detritus-feeding aquatic insects.” ECOL ENTOMOL 27: 541-553. Dias, S. C. and A. D. Brescovit (2004). “Microhabitat habitat selection and co-occurrence of Pachistopelma rufonigrum Pocock (Araneae, Theraphosidae) and Nothroctenus fuxico sp. nov. (Araneae, Ctenidae) in tank bromeliads from Serra de Itabaiana, Sergipe, Brazil.” REV BRAS ZOOL 21(4): 41-59. Fish, D. (1983). Bromeliad phytotelmata and their biota, especially mosquitoes. Phytotelmata: terrestrial plants as hosts for aquatic and insect communities. J. H. Frank and L. P. Lounibos. Plexus, Medford: 101-128. Freire, M. S. B. (1990). “Levantamento lorístico do Parque Estadual das Dunas do Natal.” ACTA BOT BRAS 4(2): 41-59. Hagler, A. N., C. A. Rosa, et al. (1993). “Yeasts and coliform bacteria of water accumulated in bromeliads of mangrove and sand dune ecosystems of southeast Brazil.” CAN J MICROBIOL 39(10): 973-977. Juncá, F. A. and C. L. S. Borges (2002). “Fauna associada associada a bromélias terrícolas da Serra da Jibóia, Bahia.” Sitientibus série Ciências Biológicas 2(1/2): 73-81. Kitching, R. L. (2000). Food Webs and Container Habitats: The Natural History and Ecology of Phytotelmata. New York, Cambridge University Press. 270 JBS 59(6). 2009 In the NDSP, phytotelm bromeliads are the sole known habitat of the arachnids Tytius neglectus and Pachistopelma rufonigrum, thus playing a critical role in their conservation (Santos et al. 2004, 2006). Besides harboring endemic species, tank bromeliads, as a source of free water in dry weather, are relevant as foraging areas and as breeding sites for species with water-dependent life cycles. According to Rocha et al. (2004) those attributes are known to increase biodiversity and, therefore, we suggest assigning tank bromeliads as an environmental assessment endpoint, that is, an environmental value to be protected and surveyed in risk analysis (Suter & Barnthouse, 1993). By monitoring bromeliad biota, researchers may be able to detect introduced species (especially those with water-dependent life-cycles), and later evaluate its survival, multiplication, dispersal capacity and ecological effects in the recipient ecosystem, which, according to Simberloff & Alexander (1998), are factors that determine the potential environmental risk of an invasive species. In the particular case of disease prevention, the inventory and monitoring of mosquito larvae in bromeliad phytotelmata can readily spot introduced vector species (such as Aedes aegypti and A. albopictus) establishing populations in the wild. Such information is essential to properly manage public health risks, especially regarding the spread of arthropod-borne viral diseases such as dengue and yellow fever, which according to Console & Oliveira 1998; Marques et al. 2001, represent a major concern in Brazil . Besides the advocated use of bromeliads, such as Tillandsia caput-medusae, as bio-indicators for monitoring air quality (Brighina et al. 1997, Malm et al. 1998, Benzing 2000), we recommend that inventories and monitoring of bromeliad-associated biota be carefully evaluated as a potentially useful tool for environmental risk assessment. Acknowledgments JBS 59(6). 2009 271 Scientiic Survey of Invertebrates Associated with Bromeliads Cultivation Laessle, A. (1961). “A micro-limnological study of Jamaican Bromeliads.” Ecology 42(3): 499-517. Leme, E. M. C. and L. C. Marigo (1993). Bromélias na natureza. Rio de Janeiro, Marigo Comunicação Visual. Lourenço, W. R. (2002). Scorpions of Brazil. Paris, L’Éditions de l’If. Malm, O., M. F. Fonseca, et al. (1998). “Use of epiphytes plants as biomonitors to map athmospheric mercury in a gold trade city, amazon, Brazil.” The Science of The Total Environment 213(1-3): 57-64. Marques, G. R. A. M., R. C. Santos, et al. (2001). “Aedes albopictus in bromeliads of anthropic environment in São Paulo State, Brazil.” REV SAUDE PUBL 35(3): 243-248. Mestre, L. A. M., J. M. R. Aranha, et al. (2001). “Macroinvertebrate fauna associated to the bromeliad Vriesea inlata of the Atlantic Forest (Parana State, southern Brazil).” BRAZ ARCH BIOL TECHN 44(1): 89-94. Oliveira, M. G. N., C. F. D. Rocha, et al. (1994). “A comunidade animal associada à bromélia tanque Neoregelia cruenta (R. Graham) L.B. Smith.” Bromelia 1: 22-29. Oliveira, M. P. and M. N. Almeida (1999). Conchas dos caramujos terrestres do Brasil. Juiz de Fora, Editar Editora Associada. Richardson, B. A. (1999). “The bromeliad microcosm and the assessment of faunal diversity in a neotropical rainforest.” Biotropica 31(2): 321-336. Rizzini, C. T. (1997). Tratado de Fitogeograia do Brasil. Aspectos Ecológicos, Sociológicos e Florísticos. Rio de Janiero, 2ed Âmbito Cultural. Rocha, C. F. D., L. Cogliatti-Carvalho, et al. (2004). “Conservando uma larga porção da diversiade biológica através da conservação de Bromeliaceae.” Vidália 2(1): 52-68. Santos, R. L. and M. G. Almeida (2006). “Biogeography of the bromeliad-dwelling scorpion Tityus neglectus Mello-Leitão (Buthidae) in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.” J. Bromeliad Soc. 56(5): 201-207. Santos, R. L., M. G. Almeida, et al. (2003a). “Water-holding bromeliads as a keystone resource for a gecko (Briba brasiliana Amaral 1935; Sauria, Gekkonidae) in restinga habitats in northeastern Brazil.” J. Bromeliad Soc. 53(2): 84-88. Santos, R. L., M. G. Almeida, et al. (2003b). “Bromeliads as a keystone resource for the scorpion Tityus neglectus in eastern Rio Grande do Norte State. .” J. Bromeliad Soc. 53(6): 256-258. Santos, R. L., M. G. Almeida, et al. (2004). “Biogeography and conservation of the bromeliad tarantula Pachistopelma rufonigrum (Aranae, Theraphosidae) in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.” J. Bromeliad Soc. 54(4): 153-157. Simberloff, D. and M. Alexander (1998). Assessing risks to ecological systems from biological introductions (excluding genetically modiied organisms). Handbook of environmental risk assessment and management. P. Callow. Oxford, Blackwell Science. Smith, L. B. and R. J. Downs (1979). Flora Neotropica Monograph No. 14, Part 3 Bromelioideae (Bromeliaceae). New York, The New York Botanical Garden. Suter, G. and L. Barnthouse (1993). Assessment concepts. Ecological Risk Asessment. G. Suter. Boca Raton, Lewis Publishers: 22. Varela-Freire, A. A. (1997). Fauna Potiguar: A fauna das dunas costeiras da cidade do Natal e do litoral oriental do Rio Grande do Norte. . Natal, EDUFRN. Zotz, G. and V. Thomas (1999). “How much water is in the tank? Model calculations for two epiphytic bromeliads.” ANN BOT-LONDON 83: 183-192. The Bromeliad Cultivar Registry Online. 272 JBS 59(6). 2009 JBS 59(6). 2009 Andrew Flower, BSI Editor. It has been some time since an up-to-date cultivar registry has been available online. A lot of work has been going on with a view to restoring this facility to the public, and we are nearing the stage where the BSI Cultivar Registrar will have a new, improved online cultivar registry available. Many of you will have been wondering what is going on, so here is a progress report as I see it. In particular, many non-members have been claiming that the BSI decided to withdraw the registry from public access: this fear is absolutly without foundation, and our Board is fully committed to restoring full online access to the public as well as our members (an interim BSI produced online database is already on our website). The irst online cultivar database was developed some 10 years ago by Michael Andreas, webmaster for the world-renowned fcbs.org site. Michael was asked to develop an online version for public view because at the time BSI oficers and directors were unable or unwilling to do the work and host the online database on the bsi website. Thus the online cultivar registry was developed by Michael and Derek Butcher (BSI Cultivar Registrar at the time) and hosted on the fcbs website, with a link from it to the BSI website which made it look as though it was actually on the BSI site. Figure 1. Home page of the proposed new searchable online cultivar registry. The Cultivar Registry itself is owned and updated by the BSI, and maintence of an up-to-date registry is the responsibility of a BSI Oficer, the Cultivar Registrar. 273