Frugivory in Lacistema hasslerianum Chodat (Lacistemaceae), a gallery forest understory treelet in Central Brazil

The objectives of this study were to know and to characterize the behavioural patterns of frugivorous birds in Lacistema hasslerianum. The study was carried out in the Panga Ecological Station (Uberlândia, Minas Gerais State). During the frutification time (September-October), L. hasslerianum was observed for 31.25 hours and received 58 visits by five species of birds. Tyrannidae was the best represented family (2 species). Pipridae was the most frequent visitor in L. hasslerianum (68.97% of visits). The number of consumed fruits was correlated with the time of permanence on the plant. The main foraging tactic was "Stalling" (58.62%) and the most frequent fruit consumption strategy was "swallower" (45.25%), which indicates a high seed dispersal potential. Antilophia galeata (Pipridae), although a territorial bird, presented the best dispersal efficiency for Lacistema hasslerianum, because of its consumption rate (2.82 whole fruits consumed/minute).