Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia de Biomas Tropicais, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Instituto de Ciências Exatas e Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, Campus Morro do Cruzeiro, S/N, Bauxita, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia Aplicada, Departamento de Ecologia e Conservação, Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Campus Universitário Aquenta Sol, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Naturwissenschaften. 2024 Oct 7;111(6):54. doi: 10.1007/s00114-024-01943-3.
Water-filled tree hollows constitute phytotelmata that harbor specialized organisms. One striking example of extreme adaptation to these microhabitats is the case of the microcrustacean Micromoina arboricola, which has been found inhabiting the hollow of a single tree individual in the Atlantic Forest. We investigated the spatial distribution and influence of microhabitat characteristics such as hollow volume and height from the ground in the occurrence of M. arboricola. We surveyed all the trunks present in ca. 5000 m of an Atlantic old-growth forest area. We found M. arboricola individuals in 75% of the hollows, thus expanding the known distribution of the species. Spatial analysis suggested a clustered pattern of population densities across hollows, indicating that the dispersal capacity to new microhabitat patches may vary in space. Although we did not find an effect of hollow volume, population density was negatively related to hollow height. This suggests that more restrictive abiotic conditions at greater heights limit the occurrence of the species, emphasizing its vulnerability to environmental changes. Hollow-mediated ecosystem engineering depends on the occasional formation of cavities that require time and ancient trees. Preserving old forests with hollows under varying conditions tends to maintain ecosystem functionality and the conservation of this unique microendemic species.
充满水的树洞构成了栖息着特殊生物的植物栖管。微甲壳动物 Micromoina arboricola 就是适应这些微生境的极端例子之一，它生活在大西洋森林中一棵单独的树的树洞中。我们研究了微生境特征（如树洞体积和距地面高度）对 M. arboricola 出现的空间分布和影响。我们调查了约 5000 米大西洋原始森林区域内所有的树干。我们在 75%的树洞中发现了 M. arboricola 个体，从而扩大了该物种的已知分布范围。空间分析表明，种群密度在树洞中呈聚集模式，表明向新的微生境斑块的扩散能力可能在空间上有所不同。尽管我们没有发现树洞体积的影响，但种群密度与树洞高度呈负相关。这表明在较高处限制了该物种的出现，更严格的非生物条件限制了其发生，突出了其对环境变化的脆弱性。树洞介导的生态系统工程取决于偶尔形成的需要时间和古老树木的腔隙。在不同条件下保护有树洞的老森林有助于维持生态系统功能和保护这种独特的微地方性物种。
