2008.- Crop size, plant aggregatio, and microhabitat type affect fruit removal by birds from individual
melastome plants in the upper Amazon.
Vegetation is concentrated in the shallow part of the gullies (up to 0.5 m depth) and is composed mainly of ferns (Dicranopteris flexuosa (Schrad.), Gleicheniaceae),
melastome shrubs (Miconia albicans (Swartz), Melastomataceae), tussock grasses and brooms (Baeeharis sp.
Kuduk-kuduk (KK) also known as Malabar
Melastome (Melastoma malabathricum L.), is a shrub belonging to the family Melastomataceae.
Vasconcelos H (1991) Mutualism between Maieta guianensis Aubl., a myrmecophytic
melastome, and one of its ant inhabitants: ant protection against insect herbivores.
Lee had found a Malaysian begonia and a Costa Rican
melastome that naturally vary in leaf color, some individuals sprouting all-green leaves and others putting out leaves with red undersides.
Mionectes and Hylocichla were the least important in terms of quantity of seeds removed overall, which reflects the fact that
Melastome fruits are not important components of their diet relative to other fruit species.
The
Melastome Action Committee (MAC) was formed in August 1991 through the initiative of Randy Bartlett, Pu`u Kukui Watershed Supervisor for the Maui Pineapple Company, and Ernest Robello, Project Director of the Tri-Isle (Maui County) Resource Conservation and Development Office of the U.S.
Melastome fruits are consistently mentioned as being among the most important resource for many frugivorous birds in the tropics (Snow, 1965; Snow, 1981; Loiselle and Blake, 1990; Stiles and Rosselli, 1993; Galetti and Stotz, 1996), providing fruits at times when fruits in general are scarce (Levey, 1990).
We did note that the sun-exposed leaves of the soft-leaved shrub Myrmidone macrosperma in the caatinga underwent diurnally reversible wilting, but the effect was inconsequential compared to the permanent wilting of several soft-leaved
melastome shrubs in nearby secondary thickets on clayey soil.
Mutualism between Maieta guianensis Aubl, a myrmecophytic
melastome and one of its ant inhabitants: ant protection against insect herbivores.
Also growing at this high elevation stop were pink flowered
Melastomes, related to Tibouchinas that are commonly grown in Australian gardens, as well as a very attractive upright sagitate Anthurium with heavily textured leaves.