Galling insects are bioindicators of environmental quality in a Conservation Unit
TL;DR: The diversity of galls at Parque Estadual Serra Verde reflects an area with high levels of stress but with moderate botanical diversity, which can support the status of conservation of an area as an urban park, once inventories are presented.
Abstract: Galls are well distributed across the World and among plant families. Their diversity can support the status of conservation of an area as an urban park, once inventories are presented. These inventories also help to understand the morphological patterns of the galls, based on their most common shape, color, host botanical families, inducers and galled organs. This study is about an inventory of galls at Parque Estadual Serra Verde, Brazil. This conservation unit is an urban park strongly anthropized in a transition area of Cerrado and Mata Atlântica. Galls from four different trails were observed, and collected monthly during one year. The terminology morphospecies was used to distinguish the galls because the identification of the inducers were not always possible. Seventy five morphospecies of galls belonging to 43 host plant species of 24 botanical families were observed. Mostly of the galls was induced by Diptera:Cecidomyiidae, in Fabaceae and Myrtaceae. The most common traits were the globoid shape and green color. The leaves were the most frequent galled organ and followed by the stems. All these tendencies had been already observed in other inventories. Comparing current results with other studies at similar areas, we can assume that the Parque Estadual Serra Verde is very important for conservation. Urban green areas are subject to high disturbance and degradation but also increase the quality of life for the population inhabiting the areas nearby. The diversity of galls at Parque Estadual Serra Verde reflects an area with high levels of stress but with moderate botanical diversity. These features make this protected area an important site for the continuous conservation and regeneration, and highlight the environmental value of Parque Estadual Serra Verde.
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TL;DR: The animal-induced galls have a striking anatomical diversity, concerning several patterns, which were reunited herein, and culminates in extant gall structural diversity.
Abstract: Galls are neoformed structures induced by specific animals, fungi, bacteria, virus or some parasitic plants on their host plant organs. Developmental processes are well known in Agrobacterium tumefasciens galls, but the animal-induced galls have a striking anatomical diversity, concerning several patterns, which were reunited herein. Anatomical traits observed in animal-induced galls involve manipulation of plant morphogenesis in convergent ways. Nematode, mite and insect galls usually contain homogeneous storage parenchyma and develop due to hyperplasia and cell hypertrophy. The development of typical nutritive tissues, giant cells, or hypertrophied vascular bundles may occur. Some other anatomical features may be usually restricted to galls induced by specific taxa, but they may eventually be related to the developmental potentialities of the host plants. The combination of distinct morphogenetic peculiarities in each gall system culminates in extant gall structural diversity. Convergent anatomical traits are observed according to the feeding mode of the gall inducers, representing potentiation or inhibition of similar events of host plant morphogenesis and cell redifferentiation, independent of gall-inducing taxa.
42 citations
Additional excerpts
...…psylloids, lepidopterans, hymenopterans, and cecidomyiids (Raman & Ananthakrishnan, 1983; Inbar et al., 1995; Nyman et al., 2000; Souza et al., 2000; Arduin et al., 2005; Rancic et al., 2006; Álvarez et al., 2009, 2016; Magalhães et al., 2014; Portugal-Santana & Isaias, 2014; Bedetti et al., 2013)....
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TL;DR: In this paper, the main goal of research on bioindicators is to identify species that would reliably indicate disturbances in the environment, and the main focus is to find species that are reliable indicators of environmental pollution.
Abstract: Bioindicators have been generating great interest in environmental pollution research The main goal of research on bioindicators is to identify species that would reliably indicate disturbances in
21 citations
TL;DR: Such long-distance effects indicate that D. gallaeformans is a peculiar colonial parasite, which may compensate the damages of gall inducing mechanisms by favoring, at least partially, its host plant fitness.
18 citations
13 Mar 2019
TL;DR: The first register of Bauhinia holophylla as host plants of Cecidomyiidae is presented, and the occurrence of Rochadiplosis tibouchinae Tavares and Couridiplosis vena is expanded to São Paulo State.
Abstract: Herein, we studied the occurrence of insect galls from natural vegetation around the Itambe Cave, Altinopolis, SP, Brazil. A sampling effort of 7.5 hours resulted in 41 gall morphotypes on 21 host plant species from 14 families. The richest families of host plants in morphotypes were Fabaceae (N = 11), Euphorbiaceae (N = 7), and Malpighiaceae (N = 5). Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (N = 8), Croton floribundus Spreng. (N = 7), Diplopterys pubipetala (A. Juss.) W.R. Anderson & C.C. Davis (N = 5), and Bauhinia holophylla (Bong.) Steud. (N = 4) were the super host plant species. Among the gall makers obtained, cecidomyiids were reared in 81% of cases and Hemiptera (Diaspididae), Hymenoptera (Eurytomidae), Coleoptera (Apion sp./Apionidae), and Lepidoptera in 4.5% of cases, each. The parasitoids belong to the Chalcidoidea superfamily (Hymenoptera). One new species of Camptoneuromyiia (Cecidomyiidae) was found in Smilax oblongifolia Pohl ex Griseb. (Smilacaceae) as inquiline and a new species of Lestodiplosis in Diplopterys pubipetala (Malpighiaceae) was a predator. We also present the first register of Bauhinia holophylla as host plants of Cecidomyiidae, and we expand the occurrence of Rochadiplosis tibouchinae Tavares and Couridiplosis vena to Sao Paulo State. The results of this paper are a continuation of the description of gall morphotypes from the vegetation in Northeastern Sao Paulo State, and they also increase knowledge about the diversity of host plant and gall-maker associations in the Neotropical region.
11 citations
Cites result from "Galling insects are bioindicators o..."
...Our results indicated that the richer the host family, the richer their gall morphotypes, corroborating data previously obtained in the Neotropical region (Gagné, 1994; Araújo, 2011; Santana & Isaias, 2014)....
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TL;DR: Despite the environmental stresses, the xeric features of the dunes of the ASP, and the high local plant diversity, the diversity of galling herbivores were low and the environmental effect seems to be neutral, either for the host plants or for the generation of gall morphotypes.
Abstract: The Atlantic Coast Restinga is a mosaic of plant communities with a distinct floristic and phytophysi- ognomy, exposed to luminous, thermal, and saline stresses. Plants of the restinga must have special features commonly associated to xeric environments, and are expected to host a high diversity of galling herbivores. We studied gall morphotypes, and recorded the diversity of galls on plants growing in sand dunes in a remnant area of restinga (Acarai State Park) in Sao Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. The sampling was done in four plots (250 x 5 m), constituting a total area of 5 000 m², during April, May and June. Plant branches (n ≥ 5) with galls were sampled, identified, and the galls were photographed. The galls were classified into eight morphotypes, associated to eight host plants constituting 15 host plants - galling herbivores systems. The identification of the gall - inducers was based on literature, and on the species-specific feature of this kind of host plant-gall inducers interaction. There was a predominance of leaf galls, green in color. The most common morphotypes were the globoid, lenticular, conical, rosette, marginal, and fusiform galls, similarly to the inven- tories performed on other Brazilian biomes. Despite the environmental stresses, the xeric features of the dunes of the ASP, and the high local plant diversity, the diversity of galling herbivores were low. Varronia curassavica (Boraginaceae), Smilax campestris (Smilacaceae), and Guapira opposita (Nyctaginaceae) were superhosts of galling herbivores in the dunes, with about 70 % of the total associated parasites. The environmental effect seems to be neutral, either for the host plants or for the generation of gall morphotypes. Alternatively, the scarce nutritional resources could be restrictive for the establishment of the galling herbivores inside plant tissues. Rev. Biol. Trop. 63 (4): 959-970. Epub 2015 December 01.
10 citations
References
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01 May 1992
59 citations
"Galling insects are bioindicators o..." refers background in this paper
...…conditions of the habitat, anthropogenic disturbances (urbanization), and biogeographic gradients (elevation, latitude, temperature and humidity) are the main factors that determine the diversity and distribution of galling herbivores (Fernandes 1992, Lara & Fernandes 1996, Fernandes et al. 1997)....
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TL;DR: The first study of gall-inducing arthropods and their host plant species ever undertaken in a Brazilian SDTF ecosystem indicates the need for an increased effort to catalogue the corresponding flora and fauna and further understand the implications of such rich diversity in these stressed and vulnerable ecosystems.
Abstract: Highly diverse forms of galling arthropods can be identified in much of southeastern Brazil's vegetation. Three fragments of a Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest (SDTF) located in the southern range of the Espinhaco Mountains were selected for study in the first survey of galling organisms in such tropical vegetation. Investigators found 92 distinct gall morphotypes on several organs of 51 host plant species of 19 families. Cecidomyiidae (Diptera) was the most prolific gall-inducing species, responsible for the largest proportion of galls (77%) observed. Leaves were the most frequently galled plant organ (63%), while the most common gall morphotype was of a spherical shape (30%). The two plant species, Baccharis dracunculifolia (Asteraceae) and Celtis brasiliensis (Cannabaceae), presented the highest number of gall morphtypes, displaying an average of 5 gall morphotypes each. This is the first study of gall-inducing arthropods and their host plant species ever undertaken in a Brazilian SDTF ecosystem. Given the intense human pressure on SDTFs, the high richness of galling arthropods, and implied floral host diversity found in this study indicates the need for an increased effort to catalogue the corresponding flora and fauna, observe their intricate associations and further understand the implications of such rich diversity in these stressed and vulnerable ecosystems.
53 citations
"Galling insects are bioindicators o..." refers background or result in this paper
...This data corroborates most of the inventories on the diversity and richness of galls (Espírito-Santo & Fernandes 2007, Moreira et al. 2007, Coelho et al. 2009, Toma & Mendonça-Junior 2013)....
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...On the other hand, in no urban areas such as Serra do Cipó and Serra de São José, which are conservation units with high biodiversity 92 and 137 species of galls, respectively, were found (Coelho et al. 2009, Maia & Fernandes 2004)....
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...This is the case of Estação Ecológica de Pirapitinga (Gonçalves-Alvim & Fernandes 2001), Parque Nacional da Serra do Cipó (Lara & Fernandes 1996, Coelho et al. 2009), Área de Proteção Ambiental da Serra de São José (Maia & Fernandes 2004), Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural Fazenda Bulcão…...
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TL;DR: The main gall inducing taxon was the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera), and the most common gall morphological types were spheroid and discoid, glabrous, predominantly green and with one chamber.
Abstract: Diversity of gall-inducing insects in the tropical dry forest (caatinga) of Pernambuco. We report on the richness of galling insects in the vegetation of caatinga of Pernambuco state, Brazil. We recorded 64 different types of galls collected primarily from leaves and stems of 48 species of host plants belonging to 17 families and 31 genera. The most common gall morphological types were spheroid and discoid, glabrous, predominantly green and with one chamber. The main gall inducing taxon was the Cecidomyiidae (Diptera). The results of this study contribute to existing knowledge of galling insect and host-plant diversity in caatinga.
53 citations
TL;DR: The reduced intercellular spaces on the horn-shaped gall structure imply little gas exchange and, thus, hypoxic conditions on the gall tissues, so the incipient photosynthesis might be important to provide oxygen to the structure and avoid hypoxia, enabling gall metabolism.
52 citations
"Galling insects are bioindicators o..." refers background in this paper
...Morever, some studies in tropical areas have demonstrated that the photosynthesis in galls is not enough for the maintenance of their structure, and are employed as an accessory to the host plant machinery, instead (Oliveira et al. 2011, Castro et al. 2012)....
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01 Apr 2010
TL;DR: The study suggest a new methodology to sampling galls in this tropical tree species by determining the sample effort to perform a representative collect of the galling insects fauna and suggesting that ten individuals and 14 shoots per plant are sufficient to sample all gall morphotypes associated with C. langsdorffii.
Abstract: Plant architecture and gall diversity associated with Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae): Plant architecture and gall diversity associated with Copaifera langsdorffii (Fabaceae). Galling insects induce tumors on their host plants in response to climatic adversities and as a protection against natural enemies. Among several hypotheses that explain differences in the distribution and abundance of galling-inducing insects, the plant architecture hypothesis stresses the influence of host plant architecture (e.g., a combination of life form, plant height, and number of shoots, branches and leaves in relation to crown volume). The aims of this study was to evaluate the effects of host plant architecture on gall species diversity and to determine the sample effort to perform a representative collect of the galling insects fauna. On fifty C. langsdorffii trees, we determined both architectural variables (i.e. height, DBH, number of ramifications of the first, second and third level, and crown area and plant volume) and gall richness and abundance. We found a total of 23 gall morphotypes associated with host plant C. langsdorffii . The gall richness and abundance were not affected by host plant architecture. Rarefaction curves indicated that ten individuals and 14 shoots per plant are sufficient to sample all gall morphotypes associated with C. langsdorffii . The study suggest a new methodology to sampling galls in this tropical tree species.
45 citations