Abstract

IBARRA-MANRIQUEZ, Guillermo  and  CORNEJO-TENORIO, Guadalupe. Tree fruit traits diversity in the tropical rain forest of Mexico. Act. Bot. Mex [online]. 2010, n.90, pp.51-104. ISSN 2448-7589.

Fruit morphology (color, size and type) of 881 tree species (338 genera and 85 families) that inhabit the tropical rain forest in Mexico was assessed. We found 46 fruit types and about 52.7% of species had berries (212 species), drupes (163) or loculicidal capsules (89); ten fruit types were represented by just one species. The most abundant fruit colors were (n = 865 species) black (307 species; 35.5%), brown (227; 26.2%) and red (159; 18.4%). Berries were usually black (66%), drupes black (53.9%) or red (39.3%) and more than half of loculicidal capsules were brown (66.3%). Fruit length varied from 0.8 to 430 mm (mean 31.7 mm) and fruit width from 1 to 145 mm (mean 16.1 mm); these variables were positively correlated (r = 0.55, p < 0.05; n = 743 species). Berries, drupes and loculicidal capsules were small (mean size < 22 mm long), while legumes and camaras were longer (mean > 100 mm long). The largest numbers of fruit types per family was recorded for Rubiaceae (seven) and 47 of them displayed just one. Fruit type frequency and species per family were correlated (r = 0.58, p < 0.05; n = 85 families). Such correlation was not sustained at generic level, because 328 genera (97%) showed just one fruit type. Our results indicate that fruit morphological diversity of tree species is an important trait to understand the structure and composition of the tropical rain forest.

Keywords : fruit color; fruit size; fruit type; tropical rain forest.

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