Journal ArticleDOI
Canopy Herbivory and Insect Herbivore Diversity in a Dry Forest–Savanna Transition in Brazil
Frederico de Siqueira Neves,Lucimar Soares de Araújo,Mário M. Espírito-Santo,Marcílio Fagundes,G. Wilson Fernandes,G. Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa,Mauricio Quesada +6 more
TLDR
It is suggested that herbivory rates in the transition dry forest‐cerrado may be driven by soil nutrient content, which is thought to influence leaf sclerophylly.Abstract:
This study aimed to compare canopy herbivore diversity and resultant insect damage to vegetation in two distinct and adjacent ecosystems, specifically a dry forest ecosystem and a cerrado (savanna) ecosystem that occur together in an abrupt transition zone in southeastern Brazil. In the dry forest, the canopy was reached using a single rope climbing technique, whereas the shorter canopy of the cerrado was assessed using a 7m ladder. Insect specimens were collected by beating the foliage, and 20 representative leaves were collected to calculate the specific leaf mass (SLM) and leaf area loss through herbivory. Also, we collected ten soil samples from each habitat to determine soil nutrient content. We sampled 118 herbivorous insects from ten families, mostly in dry forest trees (96 individuals belonging to 31 species). A higher abundance of chewing and sap-sucking insects were observed in dry forest trees than in cerrado trees. The same pattern was observed for the richness of chewers, with a higher degree of diversity of chewers found in dry forest trees than in cerrado trees. Herbivorous insects were not affected by SLM regardless of guild and habitat. However, we observed a negative correlation between the herbivory rate and the specific leaf mass (SLM). The cerrado trees showed a higher SLM and lower herbivory rates than trees occurring in the dry forest. These results suggest that herbivory rates in the transition dry forest‐cerrado may be driven by soil nutrient content, which is thought to influence leaf sclerophylly.read more
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Herbivory on Handroanthus ochraceus (Bignoniaceae) along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest
TL;DR: The results suggest that the described herbivory patterns are robust for advanced successional stages (intermediate and late) of the SDTFs, but may not apply to earlysuccessional stages of these forests.
Journal ArticleDOI
Relationship between plant development, tannin concentration and insects associated with Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae)
TL;DR: The present study reveals an ontogenetic succession pattern for herbivore insects along the C. langsdorffii growth, probably due to both indirect and direct benefits from the host plant architecture and quality.
Journal ArticleDOI
Contrasting herbivory patterns and leaf fluctuating asymmetry in Heliocarpus pallidus between different habitat types within a Mexican tropical dry forest
Pablo Cuevas-Reyes,Ken Oyama,Antonio González-Rodríguez,G. Wilson Fernandes,Luis Mendoza-Cuenca +4 more
TL;DR: It is possible that the more favourable conditions in the riparian habitat enhance leaf growth, resulting in higher FA, and individuals in this habitat might be characterized by lower chemical defence and/or higher nutritional quality, which would explain the higher herbivory levels.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tree diversity increases levels of herbivore damage in a subtropical forest canopy: evidence for dietary mixing by arthropods?
TL;DR: The results are in agreement with expectations of the dietary mixing hypothesis where generalist herbivores with a broad spectrum of food plants benefit from increased resource diversity in tree species-rich forest patches.
Journal ArticleDOI
Vegetation structure determines insect herbivore diversity in seasonally dry tropical forests
Camila Rabelo Oliveira Leal,Jhonathan O. Silva,Leandro Sousa-Souto,Frederico de Siqueira Neves +3 more
TL;DR: The importance of landscape diversity and availability of local resources for herbivorous insect communities is demonstrated and the importance of SDTF conservation in different ecoregions as a result of species turnover is emphasized.
References
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