Patterns of dispersal syndromes of plants in areas with different total rainfall, Pernambuco state, Brazil

(Patterns of dispersal syndromes of plants in areas with different total rainfall, Pernambuco state, Brazil). This study aimed to describe the proportion of dispersal syndromes in three remnants of native vegetation with distinct total rainfall and number of dry months. During three years of monthly sampling we collected and described fruits and diaspores of 107 species. The areas with precipitation less than 700 mm/year (Floresta and Caruaru) showed similar proportions of dispersal syndromes (autochory, anemochory and zoochory), whereas Tapacura (mean annual precipitation 1300 mm) was distinguished mainly by zoochory, which varied from 29% (Floresta) to 51% (Tapacura) of the species. The distribution of dispersal syndromes along a vertical gradient showed a higher proportion of zoochory in the understory of more humid areas such as Tapacura, while in drier areas (Floresta and Caruaru) autochory and anemochory were more representative in the canopy. These results indicate that the abiotic vectors become more important with the decrease in rainfall, and also that dispersal-syndrome proportions differ with stratification.