Dispersal Syndromes in a Conservation Area in a Brazilian Semiarid Region

The Brazilian semiarid region, the phytogeographic domain of the Caatinga, presents a wide floristic diversity and, paradoxically, human actions, such as deforestation for agriculture and livestock, that present constant threats to the reduction of its vegetation cover. In order to avoid the complete loss of plant and animal diversity, Conservation Units have been created, areas for which it is necessary to understand ecological processes, especially those that maintain biodiversity. In this context, the present study verified the dispersal strategies of angiosperms in the Ecological Reserve Olho d'Água das Onças (REODDO), a conservation area located in the municipality of Picuí, a semiarid region of Paraíba state, Northeast Brazil. Twelve field trips were made between August 2022 and July 2023. The specimens obtained are incorporated into the HACAM Herbarium collection (not indexed). Ninety-five species of angiosperms belonging to 28 families were recorded, and we verified that 74.5% of those species had dry fruits and disperse their seeds through abiotic mechanisms (autochory or anemochory). Only 25.5% of the total number of species disperse their seeds via zoochoric means. This is likely a result of the semiarid nature of this phytogeographical domain, where fruits with large pericarps that are normally attractive to larger animals are atypical. Our results are fundamental to understanding ecological processes in natural environments in the semiarid regions of Brazilian and demonstrate the predominance of abiotic syndromes even in an Ecological Reserve area, where faunal diversity is probably greater than in non-protected areas. These results also contribute essential information that can be incorporated into management and restoration plans in Caatinga areas. No semiárido brasileiro, o domínio fitogeográfico da Caatinga apresenta uma ampla diversidade florística e paradoxalmente as ações antrópicas, como o desmatamento para a agricultura e pecuária, representam ameaças constantes à redução da sua cobertura vegetal. No intuito de evitar a perda completa da diversidade vegetal e animal vêm sendo criadas as Unidades de Conservação, áreas para as quais torna-se necessário compreender as interações ecológicas, em especial, àquelas mantenedoras da biodiversidade. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo verificou as estratégias de dispersão das angiospermas na Reserva Ecológica Olho d'Água das Onças (REODDO), área de conservação localizada no município de Picuí, se