Showing papers by "Kleber Del-Claro published in 2019"
TL;DR: The authors' data provide evidence that previous generalizations neglecting the importance of ants as pollinators are wrong, and for the understanding of the complex ecological networks present in these dry arid systems.
33 citations
TL;DR: This is the first study to evaluate in detail the natural history and foraging ecology of C. crassus, a diurnal, aggressive and territorial ant that mainly forage climbing onto the plants in the Brazilian Cerrado.
Abstract: Ants are abundant in terrestrial ecosystems, especially in the Brazilian Cerrado, where they can play several roles at different levels of the food chain, including protection of plants against her...
27 citations
TL;DR: H harvester ants perform important ecological functions, such as seed predation and redistribution of nutrients in the soil, through a complex of ecological interactions through a network of temporal organisations.
Abstract: 1. Harvester ants perform important ecological functions, such as seed predation and redistribution of nutrients in the soil, through a complex of ecological interactions. Most studies are static descriptions of network structure, while their temporal organisations and the factors that modulate it have been neglected. 2. This study describes the temporal organisation and the influence of climatic variables (e.g. temperature and rainfall) on network structure between a harvester ant species and its food resources (seeds and invertebrates) in the Brazilian savanna over a 1‐year period. In addition, considering the ant–seed networks, the relationship between the size of seeds collected by ants and the distance travelled was examined, as well as how this relationship behaves over time. 3. For all network types (ant–seed, ant–invertebrate, and combined) there was great structural variation throughout the year. Among climatic variables, only rainfall influenced the properties of ant–invertebrate networks, presenting a positive influence on diversity of interactions and a negative influence on network specialisation. Finally, this study shows that harvester ants tend to collect larger seeds in the vicinity of the nest (< 5 m) and smaller seeds at greater distances, and this relationship appears to be constant over time. 4. This study highlights that ecological networks are useful tools with which to understand the temporal organisation of ecological functions. In addition, climatic changes, mainly in the rainfall regime, may interfere directly in the availability of resources and ultimately in the interactions between harvester ants and their food resources.
13 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that Cerrado, like other tropical savannas, is a particularly important ecosystem in which the authors can direct efforts to explain what determines the major part of variation in the outcomes of species interactions.
Abstract: As a focus for conservation efforts, biodiversity has received increased attention in the last fifty years. Searching for patterns in biodiversity, researchers have suggested studies including: ecological communities, cladistics classifications, hierarchical compositions of different levels of organization, and groups of taxonomically related species. Here, we propose that the study of the biodiversity of interactions may present a new perspective in the efforts to conserve biodiversity, especially in endangered ecosystems like the tropical savannas. We suggest that Cerrado, like other tropical savannas, is a particularly important ecosystem in which we can direct efforts to explain what determines the major part of variation in the outcomes of species interactions.
7 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, NAS thanks the Brazilian CNPq (Proc. 119082/2017-9), FAM thanks the Portuguese CAPES (proc. 88881.120147/2016-01), and KDC thanks the Brazil National Institute of Technology (CNPq) for a FAPEMIG research grant.
Abstract: BSL thanks the Brazilian CNPq (Proc.142280/2016-0), NAS thanks the Brazilian CNPq (Proc. 119082/2017-9), FAM thanks the Brazilian CAPES (Proc. 88881.120147/2016-01), and KDC thanks the Brazilian CNPq (Proc. 301605/2013-0) and also thanks a FAPEMIG research grant.
6 citations
TL;DR: A new species of microgastrine wasp, Cotesia itororensis Sousa-Lopes Whitfield, sp.
Abstract: A new species of microgastrine wasp, Cotesia itororensis Sousa-Lopes Whitfield, sp. nov., is described from a Brazilian savanna area in Uberlândia, Minas Gerais. This species is a koinobiont endoparasitoid recorded from caterpillars of Oospila pallidaria (Schaus, 1897) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), feeding on Mimosa setosa var. paludosa (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae). Morphological, molecular, biological, ecological and geographical data are used to describe the new species and distinguish it from others formally recorded for the Neotropical region.
4 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that seed beetles avoid competition through a temporal partitioning curcial for their coexistence, and select large fruits to oviposit as these fruits probably provide more food resource for their offspring.
Abstract: The seed beetles, Acanthoscelides quadridentatus and Acanthoscelides winderi are here recorded for the first time feeding on seeds of Mimosa setosa var. paludosa in the Brazilian Cerrado. O...
4 citations
01 Jan 2019
TL;DR: A good set of basic data and knowledge in ecology, natural history, and behavior of this unknown fauna is presented in this paper, which encourages young researchers to investigate basic aspects of the life history of aquatic insects, mainly in tropical systems.
Abstract: Evolution begets diversity, and insects are the most diverse organisms in the history of life, so insects should provide profound insight into evolution. Insects are considered keystone species because loss of their critical ecological functions (e.g., pollinators; seed dispersers; predators; and parasitoids) could lead to collapse of the wider ecosystem. Indeed, insects dominate freshwater aquatic systems, but in general we know very few about the biology and natural history of these organisms. Here, we present a good set of basic data and knowledge in ecology, natural history, and behavior of this unknown fauna. Our hope is that it encourages young researchers to investigate basic aspects of the life history of aquatic insects, mainly in tropical systems.
1 citations