Insect folivory in Didymopanax vinosum (Apiaceae) in a vegetation mosaic of Brazilian cerrado.
E. M. Varanda,M. P. Pais +1 more
Reads0
Chats0
TLDR
The findings suggest that, at least in this species, other chemical compounds or variables related to plant apparency and resource availability to herbivores (e.g. plant architecture) might play a more decisive role in the spatial variation of folivory than the nutritional and defensive traits that were analyzed.Abstract:
Susceptibility of Didymopanax vinosum (Apiaceae) to insect herbivores was investigated in three sites of a cerrado mosaic - composed of campo cerrado (a grassland with scattered trees and shrubs), cerradao (a tall woodland) and cerrado sensu stricto (intermediate between the two) - situated in Cerrado Pe-de-Gigante, Santa Rita do Passa Quatro, SP, Brazil. We also examined the relationship of folivory with the composition and abundance of the insect herbivore fauna, and with several nutritional and defensive plant characteristics (water, nitrogen, cellulose, lignin, tannin leaf contents, and leaf toughness). We collected insects associated with D. vinosum every month, and we measured leaf damage every three months. In general, the annual folivory differed among sites. It reached the highest rates in site 1 and site 3: 7.33 and 8.5 percent, respectively. Only 1.32 percent of annual folivory was observed in site 2. These levels resulted from the higher abundance, in sites 1 and 3, of the thrips Liothrips didymopanacis (Phlaeothripidae), the most abundant herbivore sampled, responsible for more than 90 percent of the observed damage. However, no significant relationship was found between insect activity and the chemical and physical composition of the leaves. Our findings suggest that, at least in this species, other chemical compounds or variables related to plant apparency and resource availability to herbivores (e.g. plant architecture) might play a more decisive role in the spatial variation of folivory than the nutritional and defensive traits that were analyzed.read more
Citations
More filters
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
TL;DR: 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.
Journal ArticleDOI
Defense syndromes against herbivory in a cerrado plant community
TL;DR: It is argued that herbivory exerts significant selection pressure on these plant defense traits, and grouped the species into defense syndromes according to their traits.
Journal ArticleDOI
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
Fire triggers the activity of extrafloral nectaries, but ants fail to protect the plant against herbivores in a neotropical savanna
TL;DR: This study shows that P. obscuricornis disrupted the facultative mutualism between C. crassus and B. malifolia, since ants received extrafloral nectar from plants, but were unable to deter herbivore thrips.
References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
Plant Architecture and the Diversity of Phytophagous Insects
TL;DR: In general, trees have richer insect faunas than herbs, and their discovery among plant-feeding insects is neither novel nor surprising.
Journal ArticleDOI
Tannins: does structure determine function? An ecological perspective
TL;DR: It is argued that their structures suggest strong specificities for a variety of target molecules including proteins, digestive enzymes, and polysaccharides, but are nevertheless subject to the coevolutionary "arms race" (Feeny 1976).
Journal ArticleDOI
Plant-Animal Interactions: Evolutionary Ecology in Tropical and Temperate Regions.
Journal ArticleDOI
Leaf Herbivores Decrease Fitness of a Tropical Plant
TL;DR: The results provide evidence that leaf herbivores represent a potentially strong selective force for the evolution of plant defenses.