Estudo taxonômico da flora de Melastomataceae e estruturas secretoras florais associadas à interação inseto-planta em Miconia ocorrentes no Parque Estadual do Utinga (PEUt).

Abstract

A study from the observation of taxonomic aspects of different species in Melastomataceae, as well as the anatomical and histochemical study of floral secretory structures, in two species of Miconia, related to insect-plant interactions, was developed. The family was chosen due to the great importance of studying botanical groups of great representativeness within forest fragments present in Conservation Units. In chapter 1, we carried out a study of the flora of Melastomataceae at Utinga State Park, as a means of support for the identification and characterization of these species. This chapter is entitled "Flora of the Melastomataceae Family of Utinga State Park, Pará, Brazil", in which 27 species of Melastomataceae were described, distributed in 13 genera species. The descriptions present illustrations of the main diagnostic characters. Thus, throughout the study, new records for the park area as Leandra micropetala, Miconia affinis, M. argyrophylla and M. punctata, were identified. Therefore, this first chapter presented taxonomic aspects of great relevance for studies in the area, collaborating with the floristic knowledge of fragments of Amazon forest, supporting the identification of these species and helping to the maintenance of biodiversity in places with flora structure similar to found in the region. In chapter 2, we developed a structural and histochemical study in the floral secretory structures of Miconia alata and Miconia ciliata, related to insect-plant interactions, in order to interpret these floral attributes and their relationship with the entomofauna found at Utinga State Park. In this way, the chapter is entitled "Floral secretory structures of Miconia (Melastomataceae) associated with insect-plant interaction in a fragment of the Amazon rainforest". In this research, we report the presence of structures such as stygmatic papillae, trichomes above the ovary for both species, as well as trichomes in hypanthum for M. alata and the structures in the sepala of M. ciliata. In addition, the insects related to ecological interactions and classified as constant were four (one for Miconia alata and three for M. ciliata). For Miconia alata, we were able to identify the visitor only until the class, being it belonging to Curculionidae. In Miconia ciliata the visitation of Augochloropsis sp, Melipona melanoventer and Synoeca virginea was constantly observed. Therefore, the study can contribute with relevant information regarding anatomical, ecological, histochemical, taxonomic and floral biology aspects of Miconia in a fragment of the Amazon rainforest. Furthermore, the study of anatomical structures in Miconia paves the way for the development of further analyzes in the field of evolutionary biology. This research also helps in the development of other studies with an ecological focus, since it provides subsidies for the identification of other species of this family present in the Utinga State Park.