Ecology of morphological fruit types, and fruit and seed colors in 27 Venezuelan plant communities

The composition, richness and diversity (Shannon-Wiener index) of morphological fruit types, and fruit and seed colors were assessed in 27 Venezuelan plant communities. We examined whether morphological fruit types and fruit and seed colors represent ecological attributes with predictable values that can be related to the structural and climatic characteristics of plant communities. Texture, dehiscence, and fruit types following two classification systems, and fruit and seed colors were determined for each plant community and habitat. The highest mean frequencies of dry fruits were found in the meadow, wetland and shrubland vegetation types, and the highest mean frequencies of fleshy fruits in the wet forests. The frequencies of dry and fleshy fruits, and dehiscent and indehiscent fruits were largely similar in both habitat types. The most common fruit types were loculicidal and septicidal capsules in the mesothermic shrublands, wetlands, and savanna grassland; berries in the cloud forests, sub-páramo and riparian wet forest; drupes in the cloud forests and psammophilous meadow; schizocarps in the xerophytic shrublands and psammophilous meadow; and achenes in the savanna grassland and páramo. The richness and diversity of the morphological fruit types, and fruit and seed colors identified were highest in dry forests. Almost all the ecological parameters measured were positively correlated, including plant species number, except abiotic factors. The composite Shannon-Weiner diversity index and fruit types and fruit and seed colors richness were significantly correlated with the total number of plant species number. Plant locality classification according to the frequencies of each morphological fruit type showed approximate affinities with geographic areas, vegetation type and plant community. This suggests a predictable value, and highlights the importance of the composition, richness, and diversity of fruit types in the organization of plant communities and their biotic and abiotic interactions.